For Better or Worse
by DarkWynn
Summary: Another Lesson: Conflict – When a war between student organizations threatens to break out at your school, the best thing to do is: A. Give peace a chance. B. Hunt down those responsible for starting the trouble. C. Go down fighting.
1. Truce

_**Preface**_: This story is the third in a series which begins with Out of Nightmares. I highly suggest starting there, if you are not familiar with my works. Though that story is somewhat rougher (emotionally and in quality) than this tale or its predecessor, all three stories are part of an overarching, interconnected plotline. For those who have read the previous two tales, I welcome you once more. Enjoy!

Oh, and the disclaimer: All characters and settings contained within this story belong to Akihisa Ikeda and his publisher. Should my humble work offend those great beings, I can offer only my apologies, as a quick glance at my bank account will reveal I am capable of surrendering little else. Imitation is praise, so let me offer that as my motive.

And now, on to the story…

_**Rosario + Vampire**_

**For Better or Worse**

**Chapter 1**

'_**Truce'**_

The fighting never ended.

"You're not getting away that easily!"

"Stop butting in on my time alone with Tsukune!"

Just moments before, the woods surrounding the house on the hilltop had been all but silent, a chill evening wind slipping through the branches towards the open air around the Resting Place. The sun had gotten lost behind the hills hours before, and the rising moon was barely bright enough to penetrate through the tangled limbs of the trees around the two-story house. Despite this, the sound of a pitched battle shattered the quiet as broken branches collapsed to the earth and defiant battle cries echoed off the mountains.

"I can't believe you would do that!"

"You're just mad because I did it first!"

From the relative safety of the yard, a young man stood as a concerned spectator to the struggle taking place at the forest's edge, his cries for peace either not heard or ignored by the two girls battling amidst the shadows of the trees. He was at the heart of their conflict, whether he liked it or not, yet nothing he could do would make them stop now. No, he could only watch, and pray that they wouldn't hurt each other, or the surroundings, too much.

"Sneaking into his bathroom, Mizore? That's low!"

The blue-haired girl sneered down at her opponent as her bat-like wings flapped swiftly, carrying her skyward as she tracked her rival's movements. Tensing, she dove towards the earth, her hands held out at her sides. With her fingernails extended like foot-long blades, she slashed down at the other girl, one hand tearing a furrow in the earth while the other bit deeply into a tree that had been unfortunate enough to be nearby. Her attack foiled, the succubus rose back into the air, her spade-tipped tail waving behind her as she glanced back with violet eyes gleaming.

"I just thought he might want someone to wash his back. Not my fault you were busy still stuffing your face, Kurumu."

As the wounded tree groaned and twisted, sinking to the earth, the other girl abandoned her cover to counterattack. Her soft purple hair gleamed like an aurora in the moonlight, as did her pale blue eyes, which held the inexorable fury of a snowstorm. The yuki-onna waved her arms in the direction of the succubus, and spears of ice lanced towards her flying enemy, shredding through leaves and limbs in pursuit of the succubus. Gnawing on the stick of her lollipop in frustration as her projectiles narrowly missed the other girl's wings, she turned to once more seek cover in the trees, choosing stealth over a direct assault.

"Come on, stop it, you two!"

Standing just outside the Resting Place, Tsukune Aono winced as he watched Kurumu swing back for another vicious dive. This was all his fault, he knew, though he was having a great deal of difficulty figuring out exactly what he could have done differently. Perhaps, at dinner, he shouldn't have announced his intention to go take an early bath, or maybe he should have paid more attention as Mizore had slipped upstairs as soon as she was done eating. Or, perhaps he should have checked the bathroom thoroughly before beginning to undress, since this scenario was not entirely unfamiliar to him. Maybe he even should have tried not to shout so loudly when Mizore had emerged from beneath the waters of the tub, an eager smile on her lips and a hungry gleam in her eyes. The sound of his shocked cry had managed to draw Kurumu's attention, and from there…

Another tree died in splinters as a massive frozen fist rose from the earth to swing at Kurumu, who only just managed to spring out of its path. Dark enthusiasm in her eyes, the succubus rolled in the air gracefully, leveling her wings for another swoop through the trees at her rival. A resounding crash announced another near miss as she rose into the air once more, icy shards slicing through the sky around her.

Two years ago, this situation would have seemed outlandish to Tsukune: he had always been an average guy, in a painfully literal way. Even after he had somehow ended up in a school for monsters, he had never imagined that he could survive this long, and had nearly been proven right many times. However, he had gained so much: confidence, purpose, and dear friends. Of course, some of them had always wanted to be more than friends…

"Tsukune?"

He turned at the sound of the voice behind him, his eyes widening as he saw Moka Akashiya standing in the doorway. She was absolutely beautiful: her silver hair swayed in the gentle breeze, and her crimson eyes seemed to glow with a light of their own as she gazed at him, her slim arms crossed her chest in a gesture that bespoke her challenging impatience. At her neck she wore a silver cross, the rosario that sealed her true nature, and wrapped around her waist was the only object that could overcome that seal: the metal-studded whip Belmont, a magic-cancelling artifact. With her full lips slightly parted, her elongated incisors gleamed in the moonlight, and Tsukune felt a faint twinge at the side of his neck as he remembered the all-too-familiar sensation of those fangs sinking into his skin.

"You promised my other half that you would come to my room after your bath to… sate my thirst." The faintest hint of warmth in her cheeks contrasted with the coldness of her voice, and she stared at him questioningly. "Why are you out here?"

"Ah…" Tsukune glanced towards the forest helplessly, unwilling to leave the other two girls to their combat. At the least, the surroundings would suffer even more if they were left to fight to exhaustion. He had to stop them, somehow, especially since he was the reason they were fighting.

He still couldn't believe how much things had changed for him recently. Only weeks ago, he had been at the heart of a bitter struggle between three of his closest friends. Moka Akashiya, Kurumu Kurono, and Mizore Shirayuki had all declared their love for him, but he had been unable to answer their feelings. It was only after their struggle with a nightmare-controlling monster, Mori Retsu, that they had been sent here to this house, and things had grown even more complicated. Tsukune had come to learn that he loved all three of the girls, and that had frustrated his every attempt to choose between them. In the end, after they had defeated yet another monster sent to destroy each of them, Tsukune had finally admitted the truth of his feelings to the girls. After that, they had come to an… unusual decision, the girls choosing to share him rather than risk losing him entirely.

It should have been the end of their fighting. After all, they each got to have time with him, time that never went to waste. Still, they felt compelled to compete with each other, as if it had become second nature to them. Always pushing boundaries, always wanting more; they thrilled and worried him, and he loved their antics as much as he feared them. They might always fight, he had realized, but that hardly made times like this any easier.

"I see." Moka stared into the forest, a sharp smile on her lips. "So, until they stop, you'll be distracted, right?" The irritation in her voice did not escape him, even as he hesitantly nodded. Her smile grew, and Tsukune could feel her monstrous power surge in anticipation. "Very well then. I guess I'll have to put an end to it." She stepped towards the forest, ignoring his cries to wait.

As their time at the Resting Place had drawn nearer to its end, the girls' antics had only grown more desperate. Soon, they would have to return to Yokai Academy, and their chances to be alone with Tsukune would be far more infrequent. In truth, Tsukune was glad that they had gotten as long here as they had: the ominous Headmaster of Yokai Academy had given them several extra days there as a 'vacation,' his way of thanking them for their part in defeating a monster that had threatened the Academy. A few days of peace and quiet, all in exchange for risking their lives and fighting against a creature ripped from their worst nightmares; it hardly seemed fair, but Tsukune was getting used to exchanges like that.

"M-Moka! What are you-!"

"Hey, stay out of this, you don't-!"

Tsukune winced as yet another tree met its demise, and a flock of birds rose into the air in a panic. Instead of ending the fight, Moka's entrance had only served to make it that much worse. Sighing, Tsukune turned and walked towards the Resting Place, deciding to go in and wait for the girls to drag themselves back when they were finished. He smiled wearily and closed the door behind him, the obstruction almost being enough to deaden to sounds of the combat raging outside.

So much for peace and quiet.

* * *

Night had claimed Yokai Academy, and only one room dared to defy its iron grip. Deep within the heart of the main building candlelight danced along the walls, silently watching the game taking place on the table in the room's center. The sole inhabitant of this forgotten place smiled to himself, one gloved hand reaching out to seize one of the pale pieces. Finally, he knew exactly what to do.

Hours ago, the aides and guardians who served the Headmaster of Yokai Academy had been dismissed to their slumber, certain that their master was soon to follow. Eventually he would have to retire, he knew; he could not risk overextending himself, not now. Still, he had needed a while to think, to let himself sort out all the rogue thoughts that flitted around him. Time was a resource he cherished, but even this had its value.

And so he had come to this chamber, which only his closest advisors knew of. Not that there was anything of overt value within the room, as the furnishings were spartan even by his standards: only a simple, albeit sturdy, wooden desk and a plain wooden chair. Atop the desk, however, were items of some note, specifically a trio of chessboards, each detailed in different ways. The one on the right looked to have been carved from black stone, and elaborate scrollwork and Chinese characters decorated its base. To the left was a board made from a red wood, and red soldiers clashed with white ones atop its surface. That board had been covered with a glass top, and the dust that coated that protective ward spoke of the years that had passed since it had been moved.

It was the final board that the Headmaster sat before, his glowing eyes narrowed as he second-guessed himself one final time. This board was white marble, and atop it grey pieces dueled opponents of only a slightly darker shade. Finally satisfied, the lord of the academy moved his piece into place, sitting back and nodding to himself. Perfect. Now… He reached out to toggle the switch before the chessboard, hearing the click as the brake disengaged.

He only allowed himself to play against challengers who stood a fair chance against him, and those were few and far between. Correspondence between he and the others had always taken too long, so he had been forced to find an opponent closer to home. It had taken some time to get accustomed to playing this most devious enemy, but he had come to enjoy it. Smiling darkly, he reached out to turn the chessboard around, already thinking about his next move.

The nigh-silent 'click' of the door drew him up short, and he allowed himself to settle back into the chair as he templed his fingers before him. His guest was not entirely unexpected, but even the Headmaster was forced to concede a certain amount of curiosity about how this exchange would end. After all, it had been so long since they had seen each other...

"Hell-King Mikogami," Death said as he stepped into the candlelight. "How good to see you again."

"Ah?" The Headmaster smiled beneath his cowl. "Good that I am still alive, or good that you are back to yourself to see me?"

The dark-haired man stepped closer to the table, a corpse-warm smile on his lips. "Both. After all, how else would I get the pleasure of killing you myself?"

"And is that the purpose of this visit?"

Death chuckled, glancing away from the Headmaster's face, down towards the table. "Hardly. I much prefer to savor such things; I leave the brawling to my subordinates."

"Ah, yes, your dearest friends. How are they doing these days?" The wry tone to the Hell-King's words implied that he knew far more than he should, which did little to surprise the other man.

"You could always ask them yourself. They are nearby, of course," Death conceded, his eyes wandering the game board. "Just waiting for the chance to be loosed upon this school. So many targets, so many warm bodies to be rent and crushed."

The candles dimmed slightly, as if responding to the narrowed eyes of the Hell-King. "So that is why you brought them here? A celebratory carnage?" He shook his cowled head slowly, his smile regaining its edge. "You wouldn't do that. Not until you've gotten what you want."

"And you know what that is?" Death turned his black eyes up towards the man in the robes. "You always were a dangerous one, old man. That accursed sword was your doing, wasn't it?"

"I was responsible for the _Lux Aeterna _finding the right hands to wield it, yes." His smirk growing, the cowled man let his eyes drop down to the other's chest. "Tell me: do you still bear that wound, Khro-"

"Come now, what are such names between beings like us?" Death snapped irritably. His smile quickly resumed its place, and he reached down to grasp one of the darker pieces on the game board. "Too dangerous to be allowed to do as you like. It's best that you leave this game, for now." He moved the piece forward, knocking down the paler piece that had occupied its new home. "You and I… we're like kings. The symbol of the player, the key to the game…"

"Yet vulnerable?" The Hell-King looked up at the other man, cold mirth in his gaze. "The ritual you failed so long ago in your attempt to safeguard your soul completely; how much did it leave you weakened?"

"How much, indeed." Death grinned as he leaned slightly closer, his pale teeth gleaming in the flickering light. "You don't know, and I am not about to tell you. On the other hand, I never got the chance to face you directly, so I don't know how much power you can wield against me. That is why I've come to visit, actually."

"Oh?"

"Yes. While I would probably enjoy a direct confrontation against you more than I implied earlier, a clash that would tear this place and all that live within it to tatters, I think it wisest to take things slowly. To enjoy the game, as it were."

"And what do you suggest to that end?" The Headmaster stood from his seat, staring evenly into the eyes of Death.

"That we both abstain from directly involving ourselves in what is to come. As long as you don't interfere, I'll restrain myself from any urges that would end in open slaughter. Likewise, you can trust that I will leave the fighting to my subordinates, pieces that are slightly more…" His ebon eyes fell upon the toppled piece on the board between them. "Expendable."

At this, the Headmaster fell silent for a long moment, his eyes falling to the chessboard. Though it was all but imperceptible, his lips curled slightly, and his eyes seemed to gleam all the brighter in the flickering candlelight. "And what pieces am I to play with, then?"

"Oh, come now. You have never lacked for pawns." Shaking his head, Death turned away from the desk, raising one hand over his shoulder in a silent farewell. "Take for example… Tsukune Aono and his friends. I eagerly anticipate your next move, Hell-King." And with those words, the shadows reached out to embrace him, and he was gone.

The Headmaster sat still in the silence for long minutes afterwards, staring forward with a statue's intensity. Almost absent-mindedly, he reached up to complete the motion he had begun earlier, grasping the edge of the chessboard and pivoting it around. Now, he sat behind the darker pieces, and he gazed down at the board, reexamining the field. His eyes lingered on the piece that Death had moved, peering at it as if trying to see into the mind of the one who had moved it.

Finally, he grinned to himself, one gloved hand reaching up to rub his smooth chin. Perhaps this was for the best. Chuckling in the flickering light, the Headmaster stood up from the board, reaching out to take up one of the candles as he made his way towards the rest, blowing them out one at a time. Moving towards the door, he left the chessboard as it was, not bothering to replace the pieces Death had touched.

It had been the move he would have made, anyways.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Welcome, dear reader, to the opening of For Better or Worse, the third in my series of Rosario + Vampire fanfics. Should this be your initial discovery of my work, allow me to suggest once again that you turn your attention back to Out of Nightmares; while that story is fairly dark, it does feature a happy ending, and the plot of each story in this series is deeply tied to the others. For those coming from Into Dreams, good to see you once more!

Each of my stories in this series is intended to have a slightly different feel and theme. Out of Nightmares was the darker, more dramatic conflict that set up the romantic struggles in Into Dreams. This tale is meant to place a higher focus on the action and fights that are the other half of this fandom; expect to see some of the knock-down, drag-out brawls that play such a major role in the manga, or at least my best representation thereof. It may be hubris to say this, but I think I'm pretty good at fight scenes and the like, so I'm looking forward to getting to put a few more into this tale.

Of course, this is not to say that For Better or Worse will be lacking the romantic comedy and tension that featured so greatly in its predecessor. Far, far from it; such is, after all, my favorite part of Rosario + Vampire. No, I have plans in place for a fair share of blush-inducing chaos and heart-warming resolution yet to come...

So, I invite you to follow me (and Tsukune and co.) back to Yokai Academy, where life has not gotten any less dangerous. Trouble is brewing in those halls, morseso than the usual (which says a considerable amount, when you think about it). As they shall soon see, all's fair in love and war... and this story is about both, often at the same time.

On a more 'meta' note, my intended schedule for this work is weekly releases. Those who have been with me for some time know that such things rarely work out quite as I plan: either I get anxious, and post early, or some unforeseen catastrophe delays me beyond my intended deadline. A quick glance at my profile might reveal why that could happen, though, in short, let me point to my job as a teacher. ^_^; However, on the topic of my profile: I have been striving to update my profile whenever I write, so you can check there for an update on the status of this work... assuming I maintain this habit, ah heh.

And, to conclude: Thanks for reading. Allow me this chance to humbly request your feedback, whatever you feel like offering. Reviews give me the motivation I need to press on and find my way back to the keyboard, even when I am swamped with everything else. Also, feel free to send me a message if you so choose, though be warned: my responses tend to be somewhat lengthy (that _may_ be an understatement, as some who have spoken to me before can attest). I eagerly await your voices.

But, until then... I sleep.

~Wynn Pendragon


	2. Secrets to Keep

**Chapter 2**

_**Secrets to Keep**_

"Now is the time to speak out!"

Once more, a roar of approval erupted from the crowd milling before the hastily-constructed platform, fists rising towards the sky in enthusiastic fury. Many of those in the front shouted encouragement to the speaker, their words inaudible in the chaos but their emotions plainly visible. Even though the man had only been talking for a couple of minutes, already the group of listeners had swollen to dozens strong, and with every word more wandered across the open field from the school to hear his speech.

"Fellow students, fellow _monsters_," the teen started again, his voice ringing out over the mass despite the clamor, "too long we have been forced to live lies. How long must we deny our proud heritages in the name of a false peace? How long must we hide who we are to appease those who would see us subjugated, enslaved, or worse?" He extended his arm behind him, motioning to the banner stretched above his head. "How long must we sacrifice our identities in order to preserve this forced 'cohabitation' with humans?"

As the cries rose again to a fevered pitch, the speaker leaned back from the podium. He used the slight pause to raise two gloved fingers to the bridge of his nose, pressing the black wire nosepiece of his thick glasses back against his face. The wind tousled his light brown hair, and he unconsciously reached up to smooth it before surreptitiously readjusting the rust-colored sash he wore diagonally over his uniform. As the furor calmed, he looked over the crowd, trying to meet every eye he could, planting his audience firmly in place.

"_We_ have had enough. We have grown tired of being kept quiet, of being chained to a secret. We know that there is no reason to serve humanity any longer. After all, are they stronger than us? More gifted?" The resounding cries of 'No!' fueled the grim smile the speaker wore, and he nodded as if congratulating his audience on their conclusion. "No, of course not. The only advantage they have over us is numbers. Their sweeping tides of mediocrity have forced us to be silent, but no more!" His voice grew impassioned as he uttered the last words, drawing a supportive cheer from those before him.

At the edges of the crowd, a small figure fought to find a place from which she could catch a clear view of the speaker, unsuccessfully trying to force herself into the milling press. Reaching up to adjust her pointed hat with the hand holding her pencil, the young girl sighed in frustration, restraining the urge to whip out her wand and find an easier way of clearing a path. One of the students in front of her shifted, bumping into her without glancing back, and she squeaked as the collision sent her notepad falling to the earth.

"And that is why we invite you to join us," the young man atop the platform continued, extending his hands to either side. "We are monsters united for a common cause, for a shared dream. We are monsters united, and we ask that you stand beside us." Over his head, the rust-red banner billowed in the wind, its crimson letters reading 'Monsters United to Negate Cohabitation with Humanity.' The same words were on the fliers that were held by the two girls standing on either end of the platform, and as the speaker uttered that final phrase they stepped forward, extending the papers towards those in the front of the crowd. Those fliers were quickly taken, but the two girls held stacks of copies under their arms, smoothly feeding them to the hungry hands reaching in their direction.

Even as the speaker stepped back from the podium, his part in the gathering done, others worked to end the quiet. Many shouted for more, or screamed their own support for his opinions. "Death to humans!" bellowed one powerful voice, and soon several others took up that cry as the speaker stood still atop the platform, his face perfectly blank of emotion. His encouragement was unnecessary at this point, however, and soon those words echoed off the walls of Yokai Academy, drawing fearful glances from the students walking towards the dorms.

At the back of the crowd, Yukari Sendo shook her head, a concerned grimace on her face. This was not good, she knew; this was the third gathering this week, and each of them had only gotten bigger and louder, the crowds growing angrier each time. So far, the faculty had yet to intervene, and appeals to the administration had fallen on deaf ears. If things kept up like this…

Yukari clenched her pencil tightly, scribbling down notes. They would have to say something about this in the newspaper, of course, but more importantly she wanted to get the information to Gin and Kokoa. Maybe they could think of something they could do to keep the situation from going out of control. Still, so many of the students were getting involved that calming this turmoil would not be easy, especially for three of them.

Yukari paused, glancing skyward. Not for the first time over the past few days, the faces of Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu, and Mizore flashed through her mind. If they were back at school, maybe the Newspaper Club would be able to take more definite action, maybe even find out what was behind the recent rise in bitterness and anger among the students. Ruby had told her that they would be returning that day or the next, unless something changed. Still… Yukari winced as some of the students even at the back of the crowd began to shout out their vehemence.

"Kill them all!"

"Let's eat the humans!"

Tsukune and the others would be back tomorrow at the latest, she reminded herself, worry painted across her young face. She just hoped it would be soon enough.

* * *

"That's the last of them."

Tsukune sighed in relief, swiping a hand across his brow. He chuckled as he looked down at the mountain of boxes sitting on the driveway outside the Resting Place. Some of them were obviously struggling to contain their contents, the hastily crisscrossed tape at their mouths no doubt guilty of breaking several laws of physics. "Kurumu, did you manage to get that much more stuff while we were here?"

"Only a little," the succubus fibbed, glancing away from him with a faint blush across her cheeks. "There were the outfits we bought, and some magazines, and… well, never mind that." She turned towards Tsukune with a growing smile, laying one hand on his arm. "Thank you so much for helping me carry all of that out here. It would have taken me forever to do it alone."

"Oh, it wasn't a problem," Tsukune yielded, noticing that Kurumu had drawn closer to him, her chest beginning to press against his as she leaned towards his face. "I, ah…"

"Haven't you made him tired enough?" demanded a voice from behind them, drawing Kurumu up short as Tsukune hastily straightened, a chill sprinting up his spine. They both glanced towards the speaker, discovering Mizore standing a few feet away, her arms crossed in front of her as she glared an accusation at the succubus.

"It wasn't that much!" Kurumu protested, stepping between the snow maiden and one stack of the boxes as if trying to hide them from sight. "Anyways, Tsukune told me he wouldn't mind the exercise."

"I meant all of the energy you drained from him last night," Mizore clarified, making Tsukune pale all the more. "He doesn't need you kissing him more, if he's going to be able to carry his own stuff back into his dorm room. Let alone…" She waved dismissively towards the heaps that Kurumu could not manage to camouflage.

"I wasn't going to drain him that much! I'm working on holding my powers back!"

"Poor Tsukune." The yuki-onna ignored her friend, instead focusing her attention on the boy before her, stepping close enough to run her fingers up his chest. "Between Moka sucking on your blood, and her draining your spiritual energy, you must feel horrible. If you would just spend your time with me instead…" Her violet eyes staring up into Tsukune's as her hand rested on his shoulder, Mizore effortlessly held him in place as she came ever-closer to his face.

"Ahem!" This time, it was Mizore who momentarily froze, a look of open irritation passing across her face before she turned to face the other newcomer. Moka stood only a few feet away, lowering her own stuff to the ground as she frowned at the snow maiden. When Mizore met her eyes Moka motioned towards the house with a sharp shake of her head, giving the snow maiden just long enough to smoothly slip away from Tsukune before two other people emerged from the open doorway. Mizore quickly composed her face, though Tsukune had a tad more difficulty doing the same, a bead of sweat racing down his temple as he smiled at the two adults leaving the house and walking towards them.

"That should be all of it," the man boomed, his face set in a cracking smile that revealed his bittersweet feelings about their impending parting.

"I double-checked all of your rooms for you, and it looks like you have all of your belongings. If we find anything of yours, we'll send it to you through the Hellmaw," the woman reassured them, a sweet smile on her face that decayed only when she glanced away from Tsukune towards any of the three girls around him. Only then did the dark gleam enter her eyes, a palpable aura of menace warning them that she had not abandoned her perspective on the relationship between Tsukune and the three girls.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Cooper, Mrs. Cooper," Tsukune said, genuine appreciation in his voice. "For helping us carry our things out, and for taking care of us while we stayed here. You've been so kind to us-"

"Think nothing of it!" Roy Cooper interrupted enthusiastically. "We've been glad to have the visitors, and it's always nice to have someone staying in this empty house." Beside him, Wendy Cooper nodded in complete agreement. "Actually… if you all ever needed a place to stay for a while, I'm sure that…" Roy began, stammering slightly as he remembered that the house belonged, in actuality, to Yokai Academy.

"Thank you," Moka said, smiling brightly at the older man. "That means a lot to us."

"Yeah, we'd love to come back to visit you sometime," Kurumu added, and Mizore nodded eagerly beside her.

Mr. Cooper stood in silence for a moment after that remark, his eyes gleaming wetly. Finally he stepped forward, enveloping Tsukune in a crushing hug. Releasing the boy a moment later, he turned towards Moka, grasping each of them in turn with a tight embrace. "We'll miss you all," he managed, obviously struggling to keep his emotions in check.

Trailing behind her husband, Mrs. Cooper also hugged Tsukune, her matronly hug considerably less painful, though no less affectionate. "Be good, Tsukune, and stay safe," she whispered to him, pointedly glancing towards the recovering girls to drive home her meaning. Tsukune nodded uncomfortably, returning her embrace. Releasing him, Mrs. Cooper stepped towards Moka, her smile sharpening to an edge as she came. The vampire paled, but stepped forward to accept the older woman's hug.

Moments later, the Coopers stepped away from the group, the sound of an approaching low rumble drew their attention down the hill that the Resting Place sat upon. Making its way up the drive was a familiar bus, the vehicle that would carry them back to Yokai Academy. As it neared, the group turned to their belongings, picking them up and preparing to load them onto the bus.

"Would you like for me to get that box for you?" Mr. Cooper offered to Kurumu, motioning to a bulky crate with heavy clasps. Kurumu glanced to it for a second before shaking her head a tad too energetically, laughing awkwardly.

"Ah, no, no, I'll get that one!" she responded, her voice carrying a slightly higher pitch as she recalled the contents of this box that her mother had brought her a week before. "I can manage it, thanks."

"If you're sure," Roy Cooper conceded, shrugging in confusion.

With a shuddering screech, the bus halted beside the piles of luggage, the door swinging open to reveal the bus driver. He stepped down from the vehicle, his eyes shining from the shadows cast by his cap. He reached up to touch the brim of that hat in silent greeting, a wandering plume of smoke trailing skyward from the slowly-burning tip of his cigar. "Good to see you again, boy," he offered Tsukune, his low voice making the welcome seem blatantly ominous.

"I could say the same," Tsukune commented as he reached down to pick up the nearest of the boxes, remembering that he had last seen the bus driver after their first battle against the wraith Thanatos. He and the others had narrowly survived that battle, though Mizore had been lost to the wraith's power for a while longer. Despite their weakened state the bus driver had taken their other friends back to the academy, leaving him, Kurumu, and Moka alone to deal with Thanatos. Afterwards, Tsukune had initially resented that forced abandonment, but he had come to realize that it was hardly anything unusual. The Headmaster of Yokai Academy was fond of the 'sink or swim' mentality when it came to their survival, and it often felt as though it was the bus driver who dropped them into the deep water.

After depositing the box on the bus, Tsukune turned back to claim another piece of luggage from the ground, but the bus driver drew close to him, slightly blocking his path. "Heh… I hope you're not expecting a peaceful return to your day-to-day life. Things are getting dangerous back at school, you know."

Tsukune froze at that, feeling familiar fear trickle back into his stomach as he pondered those words. He glanced at the man, about to ask, but the words died at his lips; it would be pointless to ask someone who never gave a straight answer. His eyes traveled past the bus driver, stopping on Moka, Kurumu, and Mizore as they each picked up more of the luggage. His trepidation faded as he watched them, a slow smile lifting his lips, and he turned to meet the man's gaze evenly. "Isn't it always dangerous? We'll be alright."

"It looks like your time here has given you more confidence in yourself." The bus driver chuckled darkly, bowing his head and stepping out of Tsukune's path. "That's good." Tsukune walked past him, moving to help the girls load the luggage, but still he heard the man's low words: "…you'll need it."

Ignoring the shiver passing up his back, Tsukune hurried to the boxes, hefting two at once. With his increased efforts, and the help of the Coopers, the luggage was soon loaded into the storage compartments. Kurumu and Mizore were the first onto the bus after that, offering quick farewells to the Coopers before making their way towards the vehicle's rear seat. Tsukune hoped that Kurumu's cry of "Hey! I get to sit beside Tsukune first, remember?" didn't reach the ears of Mrs. Cooper; thankfully, she seemed to be distracted by Moka, who was thanking her and her husband once more for their hospitality. Tsukune stood beside Moka, echoing her sentiments, but his attention was soon drawn elsewhere, his eyes wandering to the house standing nearby.

He had grown very attached to the Resting Place, and it pained him to think that it might be a long time before he saw it again, if ever. After all, so much had happened while they had stayed at that house: he had realized the depth for his feelings for his three closest friends and had shared his first kiss with each of them, they had banded together to defeat an incredibly menacing monster, and he and the girls had finally come to a solution to the conflict that had threatened to tear them apart. His life was so different from what it had been before they had arrived at this place, and he would carry pleasant memories of these past weeks for the rest of his life. He had come to think of the Resting Place as a home, and hoped someday that they would be able to return, if just to celebrate how much it had brought them together.

His emotions wetting his eyes, Tsukune forced himself to nod a farewell to the Resting Place before turning back to the Coopers. His attention returned to the older couple just in time to hear Moka offer her gratitude one final time, bowing deeply to them. Tsukune mirrored the motion, bumping against her slightly, accidently jarring free the bag she had held in her hands.

"Oh!" Moka stooped to hurriedly pick up the items that had spilled from the bag, essentials that she had wanted to keep close to hand on the bus. Tsukune also knelt beside her, helping her to gather the handful of objects and replace them in the sack.

"Sorry, Moka, I-" Tsukune paused as they both reached for the last of the items, his eyes widening as he recognized it. He glanced furtively up at the Coopers, panic swelling as he noticed the expanding horror on Mrs. Cooper's face, the livid blush darkening Mr. Cooper's cheeks to the color of his hair. Though it was far, far too late, Moka swiftly snatched the Belmont and stuffed it into the bag once more, standing and trying to decide between stammering out an explanation or merely fleeing.

"Time to go," the bus driver commented wryly, already on the stairs of the bus.

Taking the suggestion to heart, Tsukune and Moka quickly moved to climb aboard the vehicle. "Goodbye!" they yelled, waving to the older couple who stood paralyzed by shock and embarrassment, the sight of the studded leather whip still burnt into their minds. The door screeched closed behind Moka, and the lumbering bus jerked to life, beginning its trek back down the hill, away from the Resting Place and the Coopers.

The bus was only partway towards the metal gates at the base of the hill when the shrill shouting started, but that was far enough.

* * *

'This feels familiar,' Tsukune thought to himself as the bus made its way down the mountain, only beginning its journey towards the supernatural tunnel that would bring them back to their school. He glanced to either side, looking at the top of Kurumu's head as she snuggled against his arm and then to Moka as she leaned against him, their fingers intertwined. Fortunately, this time, at least, there had been less fighting over who got the seats beside him. That had been settled the night before by drawing straws, the girls had explained, though they had promised to switch out seats mid-trip. Moka, Kurumu had explained with obvious discontent, had won the draw, which meant she got to keep her place for the entire trip. Tsukune assumed that was the reason behind the splintered straws he had found that morning, as well as the shouted oaths to never again use that method for choosing that he had heard the previous night; Moka had a tendency to win when they did, he deduced.

A slight motion drew his attention forward, and he found Mizore gazing at him over the edge of the seat in front of him. He offered her a smile, which she returned, but the happiness in her eyes faded somewhat as she looked to the other two girls. "We should enjoy that while we can," she warned them, meeting Tsukune's eyes once more. "We won't get chances like this very often, when we get back to school."

Nodding solemnly in response to Mizore's words, Tsukune couldn't keep a slight frown from his face. She was right; things would have to be different when they got back to Yokai Academy. It had been something that they had largely avoided speaking about over the past few days, preferring instead to enjoy what little time they had left at the Resting Place. And then, over dinner the previous evening…

"_We_'_ll have to keep it a secret_."

_Tsukune and the other girls turned to Mizore_, _blinking as they lowered the food they had taken up_. "_What do you mean_?" _Kurumu demanded_, _glancing to Tsukune with concern before staring at Mizore_. "_That will never work_."

"_She_'_s right_," _Moka commented_, _not hiding the worried tension in her voice_. "_Polygamy_… _our situation isn_'_t something that is widely accepted in the monster world_, _and it_'_s expressly forbidden in most of human society_. _Can you imagine what would happen if the other students got word of this_?"

"_Yeah_, _I can_," _Tsukune mused_, _rubbing the back of his neck as muscles across his body tensed_, _the memory of the beating he had received just before leaving Yokai Academy still fresh and painful_. _The other students had not taken well to the news that he would be living with the three girls_, _and a certain werewolf had fed the flames by spreading rumors that their exile was due to their relationships being too intimate_. _Strangely_, _that had come to be partially true_, _but Tsukune was not eager to let any of them know that_, _Gin least of all_.

"_Oh_…" _Kurumu gasped_, _her eyes widening_. "_Worse than that_." _The other three looked to her in surprise_, _and she met their eyes before continuing_. "_Think about Yukari_."

_If thinking about how close he had come to being thrashed to death by his fellow students had made Tsukune's muscles tense_, _thinking about the young witch_'_s reaction to this news made them lock in sheer terror_. _Yukari had long been the only outside supporter of his romance with Moka_, _but her motivation was less than pure_… _she had revealed that, by getting them together_, _she would have a better chance at a romance with both of them simultaneously_. _Her descriptions of such a relationship inevitably veered towards the carnal_, _and she typically showed a startling understanding of such matters for one so youthful_.

"_All the more reason to keep it a secret_," _Mizore concluded_, _and the others had quickly nodded in complete agreement_.

'Still… will it be that easy?' Tsukune wondered, glancing again to the girls resting their heads on his shoulders. Over the past few days especially, they had gotten accustomed to sharing time alone, and Tsukune had greatly appreciated the chances for a few moments of comfortable intimacy. Such would be all but impossible at the school, where there would be many more people watching them, some nearly as scary as Mrs. Cooper.

"We'll figure something out," Kurumu declared stubbornly, pressing closer to Tsukune.

"We'll have chances every now and then. We'll just have to adjust," Moka suggested, straightening in her seat and looking to Tsukune. He smiled at her, grateful for her confidence, and squeezed her hand gently.

"You know that I'll always be able to find a way to be alone with you," Mizore reassured him, drawing his attention back to her and sending a thrill that was only partially anxiety racing through him.

Relaxing at last, Tsukune allowed himself to sink back against the seat. Maybe things would work out better than he had feared. He still regretted that they would have to hide things from Yukari and the others, but eventually they would be able to reveal the truth. For now, they would have to do everything they could to keep those around them from discovering the reality of their situation, even if that meant acting like nothing had changed between them.

At the least, this meant that things would be back to normal soon… or, as close to normal as they ever were for his group. With that thought in mind, Tsukune closed his eyes and enjoyed the presence of the girls around him, barely noticing as the miles rushed past.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Some time has passed since I have written a chapter that gave me fits like this one. Despite its comparative brevity, thanks to my fragmented writing schedule I often felt like I was chipping away at a mountain with a hammer, hoping to shatter it eventually. For this reason, I'll note that I will be considering it for later revision, should such be necessary.

Also, this leads to the reverse of a situation I discussed some time earlier: the more I write, the longer my author's note at the end, as if I fail to dam the wordflow even after I achieve my goal. This time, however, such will not be as much a problem. Perhaps this is for the best; I am dreadfully tired, and such energy is best conserved for whatever writing opportunities arise over the next few days.

Indeed, I will need energy to make it through my schedule this week. Three ballgames to work, a section due for Toren on Monday, a normal work week, and the third chapter of this tale, which promises to be longer than either of its predecessors. Still, two factors offer me hope: the first is that snow has been predicted for Monday or Tuesday, tantalizing me with the notion of an unimpeded writing frenzy, and the second is that the third chapter of For Better or Worse is one that I have been eagerly anticipating for some time now. I can only pray it pours onto the paper (or, ah, screen? Keyboard?) with the vividness that it occupies my brain…

But, so that such will be an option, it is time I take my rest. I await your responses and comments with anxious, eager curiosity, despite my exhaustion. Tomorrow, such may be the carrot dangling from a stick to pull me from bed and back to work…

But, until then, I sleep.

~Wynn Pendragon.


	3. The Four Return

**Chapter 3**

_**The Four Return**_

"End of the line, boy."

Tsukune blinked as he heard the man's low voice, breaking free of the clinging half-sleep that the bus's droning progress had forced him into. He shifted slightly, drawing a drowsily complaining moan from Mizore, who clutched all the tighter to his left arm. To his right, Moka stretched her arms above her head, delicately avoiding Tsukune's face with her elbow before straightening her arms with a quiet yawn. Finally regaining some semblance of coherent thought, Tsukune stared ahead, noticing the glinting eyes reflected in the rearview mirror hanging at the front of the bus. Just below that was the windshield, and beyond it was an all-too-familiar vista: the unnaturally curling cliff hanging high over the turbulent ocean, and just past that the indistinct form of Yokai Academy. Even so distant, the looming edifice brought forth mixed feelings in Tsukune, a surge of anxiety, relief, fondness, and curiosity. Had much changed while they had been gone? Somehow he doubted it, but he wasn't entirely certain whether or not that was a good thing.

As Mizore finally relinquished her grip on his arm to rub at her eyes, Tsukune stood up, feeling his legs protest as he took a hesitant step forward. He noticed that Kurumu had yet to move, her face pressed against the glass window of the seat in front of the one he had occupied with the other two girls. Shaking her and restraining a slight smile at her confused snort, Tsukune motioned towards the front of the bus. "We're back."

Moments later, the four teens stood outside the bus, unloading their luggage beside the gnarled tree near the edge of the cliff. The bus driver watched them work, contentedly puffing on his cigar as he alternated between leering ominously at the group and staring off into the distance at the academy's silhouette. As Kurumu dropped another box onto the ground, she turned to face him after scanning the path leading towards the school. "Hey, do you have the time?" she asked suddenly.

"It's four o'clock," he responded, chuckling. "Classes are out, if that's what you're wondering about."

"Oh," Kurumu responded, the slight disappointment and confusion in her voice echoed on the faces of her friends as they lowered the final boxes to the ground.

"If you're curious why you're not being welcomed back, it's because your friends don't think that you'll be here until tomorrow," the bus driver continued, being uncharacteristically informative. "I was supposed to pick up a few new transfers before I went after you, but I decided to get you first." He shrugged, his smile growing. "I thought that you would have enough to deal with, with all the trouble on campus recently."

"Trouble? What trouble-" Tsukune started, but his words died as the bus driver turned and began to climb the steps back onto the bus, his helpful attitude apparently spent.

"Do you think he meant those student groups that Yukari mentioned in her letter?" Moka suggested as the engine roared back to life, the bus already beginning to turn about to face the tunnel that would take it back to the human world.

"Student groups? What letter?" Mizore asked, confused.

"Oh, yeah, you wouldn't know about it," Kurumu realized. "We got it when you were, ah…"

"Thanatos." Mizore concluded, her eyes gleaming as a chill wind gusted past the group.

Nodding unhappily, Tsukune turned to explain. "She said that there were two student organizations that had been causing fights at school. I can't remember their names, but they both had something to do with whether or not monsters should get involved with humanity."

"Well, _I_ don't see a problem with it," Kurumu purred, leaning against Tsukune with a sly smile.

"It's not that surprising that it would be a big deal," Moka added. "After all, the purpose of this school is to teach monsters how to fit into human society, but some students resent the notion that they have to hide their true natures so much."

"I found that out on the first day," Tsukune grumbled, remembering the face of Saizo Komiya, a monstrel that he had unfortunately met more than once. 'I wonder what happened to that guy?' he thought off-handedly, faintly remembering his last battle against the menacing brute.

"Well, it definitely has its drawbacks, but think about what would happen if humanity suddenly found out that monsters really exist," Mizore pointed out. "After all, Hokuto tried to cause a war by doing just that."

Hearing Tsukune's melancholy sigh at the mention of his former friend, Kurumu shot a bladed glare at the yuki-onna. "Enough about that!" she chimed energetically, reaching down to grip Tsukune's hand. "We need to carry this stuff to the dorms, and since it'll take more than one trip we should get started."

"I have all of mine." Mizore smirked at Kurumu, shouldering one bag and holding her duffel in the opposite hand. The succubus glowered at her, but her expression plummeted when she noticed that both Tsukune and Moka were likewise barely encumbered with the full extent of their luggage. Those two exchanged a mischievous smile and started walking forward, Mizore taking a place beside them on the path to the school.

"You'll come back with me to get some of this, right, guys?" Kurumu pleaded, hastily swiping up a wobbling pile of boxes. "Tsukune, you'll come with me, won't you? Moka? You're not going to make me do this alone, are you? Right?"

They weren't far enough ahead to hide their laughter, and Kurumu chased after them, her voice carried over the cliff by the wandering wind.

* * *

They had almost reached the school when the sounds of raised voices reached them, the rapidly-shifting figures in the crowd ahead drawing their attention only a moment later. Faint notions of their friends coming to greet them quickly died as they noticed that the crowd's attention was directed inward, and the loud cries amidst the hubbub spoke more of fear and pain than excitement. Sharing a concerned glance, the four friends increased their pace, hurrying to discover what lay at the heart of the tumult.

The truth soon revealed itself as the mass of students standing around the core of the crowd scattered, leaving only the handful facing each other in the middle. One of those students was likely the cause of the panic, towering several feet over the others as he shed all attempts at maintaining his human form. Though this particular monster was not personally familiar to Tsukune, his race certainly was: the bulging muscles, exaggerated size, and curved spines running down the center of its back reminded Tsukune of the first time he had crossed a troll. Much like that encounter with Chopper Rikishi, it was obvious that this troll's anger had gotten the best of him: he was surrounded by craters that bespoke the occasions which those boulder-sized fists had missed their targets, and several still bodies which showed what happened when he did not miss. As Tsukune and the others watched, the troll picked up another of the students facing him, flinging his arm to the side to launch the hapless boy after the fleeing spectators.

"Filthy human lovers! Traitors!" the troll bellowed, stomping forward towards those still facing him. "I'll take you all on at once!"

"Not good," Mizore mumbled from beside Moka, already letting the strap of her duffel slide down her arm.

"Should we get involved?" Moka asked, glancing to Tsukune.

"We can't just watch," Tsukune murmured, anxiety on his face. This would be trouble either way, but the troll's words gave him pause. Yukari had warned them, but had things already gotten this bad?

"Alright, then, let's go!" Kurumu declared, dropping her boxes to the ground with a satisfied smirk. "This shouldn't take long. I'll-"

"Oya, oya," called a voice from beside the path, momentarily halting the troll's building charge along with the advance of the girls and Tsukune. "What's this?"

As they watched, a single young man walked onto the path, stepping between the troll and those facing him. Utterly unconcerned with the fact that he had strolled into the midst of a raging battle, the teen didn't stop until he was directly between the rampaging monster and the other students, languidly looking from one side to the other. Maybe it was his dissonant serenity that froze the combatants in place, or his strange, childlike smile, but instantly everyone around became silent spectators, curious as to what this odd person would do next.

Tsukune blinked as he considered the young man. At first glance, he was revealed to be a student of Yokai Academy, or so the uniform he wore would suggest, if not for the fact that it was all but entirely black as opposed to the typical green and khaki. His face was not known to Tsukune, but he looked to be at least old enough to be a sophomore. It seemed odd that Tsukune couldn't recognize him, as the teen certainly stood out from the other students: his dark red hair stood upright in short, uneven spikes, and his angled face carried that oblivious smile with practiced familiarity. Also, the _bokken_ the teen carried was another unusual factor, the wooden sword something that would certainly bring down the wrath of most of the faculty should they see him carrying it. After all, the only students Tsukune had ever seen armed like that had been- cold fear exploded in his gut, and Tsukune's eyes opened wide as he thought back to others he had seen wearing black uniforms.

"Crap, it's the Enforcers!" shouted one of the combatants facing the troll, taking a step back as if preparing to flee.

"Hey," the young man in black said plaintively, glancing to the one who had spoken. "Don't run away, alright?"

Much like the tremor in the voice of the student who had declared the identity of the intruder, the troll's face revealed a surge of panic as he stared down at the man before him. Still, trolls were not known for their discretion; had research on the 'fight-or-flight' response been performed on that race, it would have featured one fewer option. True to type, the fear on the troll's face melted in the face of resurging rage. Moving with a glacier's inexorable gravity, the monster drew back his fist once more, his muscles tensing as he aimed his next attack at the black-clad interloper. Despite the deep growl pouring from the troll's throat, the Enforcer paid him no mind, still staring a challenge at the student who had started to call for a retreat.

"Look out!" Tsukune and his friends shouted, fearing it was too late for the man in the middle to dodge the powerful attack already hurtling towards his body.

Even with their warning, the red-haired student made no move to flee. He didn't even glance towards the troll, though he did angle his body somewhat in that direction, turning his right arm towards the monster and holding the _bokken_ between them. This did nothing to allay the fear that the watching four felt; such a small wooden sword couldn't stop-

"Ugh," the troll grunted, his eyes wide and shaking as he stared down at his fist. A thin rivulet of dark blood sprouted between his knuckles, tracing a path towards the earth beside the unyielding dull blade. Caught with his arm still extended, the troll gaped at the tip of the _bokken_ still standing upright before his hand, obviously befuddled by its perseverance.

"_Oya_," the Enforcer uttered, the nonsense word now carrying with it a tide of black menace. He slowly turned his head towards the troll, his smile not wavering. Though Tsukune couldn't see his expression as the man in black faced the troll, the terror that monster wore told him enough.

Once again, the troll had only one response left to him. His other fist fell back with surprising haste, a guttural roar shaking the earth as he launched his left hand towards his opponent. That attack instantly proved insufficient, however: the Enforcer had already moved, standing just before him, the tip of the _bokken_ ripping up a cloud of dust as it kissed the ground before rising skyward, pressing against the troll's ribs for a sharp split second…

The furious roar gave way to a yell of agony as the hulking behemoth was lifted from his feet in a sickening cacophony of pops, his thick ribs giving way to the touch of the dull blade before he was thrown backwards. A moment passed before he found the ground once more, collapsing to the earth and sliding back. As he came to a rest, the troll showed no further sign of movement, and a low groan of pain suggested that he would not be rising for some time.

"Nice," the Enforcer mumbled, still staring at the crumbled form. He straightened from his crouched stance, bringing his wooden blade back down to his side. "I needed that."

This was more than enough to convince the other students that had been involved in the fight that it was time to make their exit. Without a word, they turned towards Tsukune and the others, only to find another black-clad form stepping towards them from the side of the path. This figure also seemed unconcerned with the carnage, casually ambling towards them, her hips swaying gracefully with every step. While this newcomer also wore a monochromatic version of the typical student uniform, hers was far less effective at covering her form: a lazy neckline plummeted downward, revealing twin pale expanses with a shadowed crevice between, while her checkered skirt seemed to have been made for someone with much less leg. Smoothly brushing her long black hair away from her face, she pursed her lips softly at the fleeing combatants, shaking her head lightly in teasing reproach. "Leaving so soon?" she purred, effortlessly ensnaring them with a single glance from her dark eyes. "Why don't you stay for a moment? I would enjoy the company."

Her seductive smile faded into an irritated grimace as another figure burst onto the scene, a wheezing gasp preceding him as he heavily jogged from the sidelines towards the fallen bodies. Like the others, this person also wore the black uniform, though his outfit was completed with a wide-brimmed hat and a thick bag decorated with a crimson cross. "S-sorry," he apologized distractedly as he accidently trod upon one of the limp forms, fumbling with the bag at his waist. "I'll see to you in a moment, just let me…" His voice trailed off as he looked around at the bodies, searching for the most wounded through the thick glasses he wore perched upon his rounded nose. Snorting in undisguised contempt, the female Enforcer turned her attention back to the still-captivated handful of combatants, smiling silkily once more.

"Now, where were we?" she breathed, drawing close to them. "Ah, yes; you were just about to volunteer to turn yourselves in for fighting on school grounds, right?" The slack-jawed nods the students offered her made her smile spread coyly across her face. "I had thought so."

"What is going on here?" Tsukune mumbled from his position a short distance away, shocked by everything he had witnessed.

"Those uniforms they're wearing… they're not the same, but they remind me of what Kuyo's Enforcers wore," Kurumu murmured, frowning as she remembered their group's earlier clash with the corrupt student police and their Yoko commander.

"The Student Protection Committee?" Mizore asked, recalling the stories her friends had told her of that particular battle. "Weren't they disbanded?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," offered a smooth voice from behind the four. They turned to glance behind them, shocked to discover another person walking along the path towards the fight. "However, in light of recent… problems, the administration has seen fit to resurrect it, with certain restraints to ensure it won't fall to the same corruption as last time." The speaker drew nearer to Tsukune and the others, a faint smile on his face as he looked over each of them in turn. "Now, forgive my brusqueness, but you are…?" His voice was polite, measured, but unyieldingly insistent.

Despite the simplicity of the other student's question, it took Tsukune and his friends several moments to respond, each of them gaping at the face at the person who had spoken to them. There were details that were sufficiently different: the slightly longer hair, the duskier skin, the dark grey eyes, the Enforcer uniform. Beyond those, however, the young man that had walked up to them was nearly a perfect reflection of Tsukune, a copy that would give pride to a doppelganger.

"You are?" the man with Tsukune's face asked again, his odd smile refusing to waver.

"Oh! Sorry," Tsukune blurted, remembering himself. "I'm Tsukune Aono, and these are my friends," he motioned towards the three girls, "Moka Akashiya, Mizore Shirayuki, and Kurumu Kurono."

"It's good to meet you." The other teen bowed the slightest margin, his eyes not leaving them for a moment. "Are you new students here? I had heard that we were to have some new arrivals, but if you know about the incident with the former Protection Committee…"

"No, we've all been enrolled here for over a year now. We're coming back from… a special assignment for the Headmaster," Moka explained awkwardly. "We've been gone for a few weeks."

"Ah, I see. That would explain why you wouldn't know about our organization getting started again." The young man in the black uniform nodded, motioning past them towards the other three Enforcers. "In dangerous times like these, it's always good to know where you can turn for help." His smile grew friendlier, but lost some of that warmth as he glanced past the four.

"Hey, boss, didja see that?" asked one enthusiastic voice from behind Moka, drawing the group's attention back in the direction of the former battlefield. They discovered that the other three Enforcers had walked away from the scene of the trouble. Behind them, several students limped towards the distant school, at least one of them bearing a messy bandage around his temple. The students that the female Enforcer had stopped mid-flight were gathered around the fallen troll, struggling to raise his massive arms over their shoulders as they fought to lift him enough to drag his still form to the academy's medical facilities. "He was a big one!" the red-haired Enforcer crowed, grinning viciously.

"The rest of them have decided to turn themselves in, after my chat with them," the girl commented, smirking triumphantly.

"No one was seriously wounded… except for the troll. It'll take those ribs a while to heal," reported the Enforcer with the glasses and the hat. "If Ken had restrained himself a little more-"

"Shut it, Russ," the redhead snapped, shoving his shoulder. The medic reached up to that shoulder, rubbing it tenderly as he pointedly looked away from the other teen, sulking silently.

"Ah, a perfect opportunity. Allow me to introduce the other members of the Student Protection Committee." The young man with Tsukune's features motioned towards the trio, pointing directly to the redhead. "This is my right hand, Ken Takeda."

The teen with the _bokken_ touched his brow in a mocking salute. "Heya," he said lightly, his eyes scanning over Tsukune and the others.

"This is our diplomatic officer, Elizabeth Tanner," continued the nearest Enforcer. The girl beamed at the introduction, her gaze flitting over the girls before locking on Tsukune.

"A pleasure," she purred, her eyes wandering over Tsukune hungrily. Beside him, Kurumu growled quietly, taking her own measure of the other woman. Elizabeth's angled features looked to be foreign, perhaps European, and she had black hair and pale skin, much of which was exposed by her abbreviated uniform. Another deviation from the apparel worn by the other three caught Kurumu's eye: a silver chain Elizabeth wore wrapped around her waist as a belt, both ends of which ended at a fist-sized ornate sphere that hung from her left side. As Kurumu inspected her, the girl shifted her weight onto one leg, letting her chest protrude slightly; sharp suspicion driving her, Kurumu glanced to the side to find that Tsukune had indeed noticed, and elbowed him roughly to end his staring.

"And finally, our medic, Russell Fleming." The pudgy Enforcer with the thick glasses nodded at that, reaching up to lift his hat as he bowed weakly, the mixed motion only succeeding in hiding his face for a brief moment. As he straightened, he refused to meet the eyes of Tsukune and the others, his pasty skin damp with a faint sheen of sweat.

"N-nice to meet you," he offered lamely, drawing an amused smirk from Elizabeth.

This time, it was Moka who introduced herself and her friends to the trio, giving Tsukune a chance to glance back towards the fourth Enforcer. That man caught his gaze and nodded, stepping forward after Moka was finished. "Forgive me," he said smoothly. "I forgot to name myself. I am Mikoto Kurono, leader of the Student Protection Committee."

"Kurono?" Moka asked, glancing over at Kurumu, who could only shrug.

"Pardon me for asking, but are you new to Yokai Academy yourself? I don't remember seeing you here before," Mizore inquired, her eyes narrowed.

"I transferred here at the beginning of this year, actually," Mikoto answered, glancing to Tsukune. As his eyes met Mikoto's, Tsukune felt a sharp pain in his head which immediately faded. Now that he thought about it, he thought he could remember someone saying something about a person resembling him at school, but… Wincing, Tsukune reached up to rub his temple, trying to massage away the feeling of pressure in his skull. He would think about it later, he assured himself, when he felt better.

"I ask your forgiveness, but we'll need to file a report about this incident with the administration. We'll take our leave for now; stay safe, and come directly to us if you find any trouble." Mikoto stepped past Tsukune and the others, but he paused before he reached the other Enforcers. "It's been nice meeting you," he said, glancing back, his smile lifting one side of his lips sharply. "See you around, Tsukune." And then he walked on, the other Enforcers falling in behind him, Ken waving jauntily over one shoulder.

The four friends watched the Enforcers leave, waiting a long moment before turning to each other. "Even if they are helping to keep down the trouble here, I can't say I'm glad to see black uniforms again," Moka offered softly, frowning.

"They have to be better than Kuyo and his thugs," Kurumu suggested, shivering as she remembered the brutal spirit fox and how close he had come to wiping out the Newspaper Club.

Mizore glanced again towards the receding forms. "What I'm curious about is their leader. Why does he look like Tsukune? The resemblance is uncanny." All three girls looked directly to Tsukune, who could only shrug in confused helplessness.

"It looks like things have changed more than we expected," Tsukune suggested, shaking his head. "We'd better catch up with Yukari and the others and see if they can help us sort this out." The girls nodded to this, and they all turned back towards Yokai Academy, confusion and anxiety adding extra haste to their progress.

Knowing their luck, Tsukune mused, this would only be the beginning of their trouble. It wasn't the welcome he had wanted, but it was probably the only sort he should have expected. Despite his concerns, though, he felt an odd sort of exhilaration and curiosity, a desire to know what was happening and to see if he could help.

In a way… it was good to be back.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Bah, my first late release for this tale, and only 3 chapters in. In my defense, I have many, many reasons, including a cold and several basketball games that devoured all time I might have to focus on this work. Actually, I'm proud to get this out as close to my original deadline as I am, though I still hardly intend to make a habit of such delays. Let us hope fate can say the same of its own plans for me.

This chapter in particular drove me batty: I had been looking forward to it for some time, and worry that I may not have delivered it to the extent I wanted. With the introductions (or, rather, re-introductions) out of the way, next chapter will be time for a reunion with the rest of the Newspaper Club, and some more exposition on the conflict central to this story. I'm looking forward to getting into the real action of this tale, but it might take some time. There's a lot of set-up behind a weave this complicated…

Forgive me if I cut this note short (at least, short for _me_), but my body is reminding me of the rest I owe it. One more week of ballgames, and then I'll finally have the time to truly tear into this work… assuming I survive that long, that is. Heh.

As always, your kind words or critiques are greatly, greatly appreciated. With my mood deeply bruised by the latest raw release of R+V (and considering the importance of the characters depicted in this installment of my own version of that world), I'm especially eager for feedback. I'll need all the fuel I can get to convince my tired self to rise once more to the keys...

Soon I shall write again. After, of course, I sleep.

~Wynn Pendragon


	4. Reunion

**Chapter 4**

_**Reunion**_

"You know what? I kinda like this place."

High in the hills overlooking Yokai Academy, the four teens stopped at what had become their usual hangout, three of them moving to take seats on the weathered stones while the fourth leaned against the gnarled, leafless tree that silently watched over the gently-curving knoll. The girl paused to irritably swipe at the top of the nearest waist-high stone, hopelessly trying to dust it free of clinging lichen before huffing and taking her seat atop it anyways. Beside her, the redhead hopped easily onto his, waving his arms and laughing as he fought to keep his balance atop the sloping rock, while the second boy plopped heavily down onto the ground before another such stone a fair distance away from the others. Behind them, the final member of their group reclined against the tree, watching them with a faint smirk before glancing out across the hillside with a more genuine smile. He had always enjoyed places like this; graveyards had a certain appeal to them that struck him as fitting.

Mikoto Kurono was somewhat surprised at how well he and the others had acclimated to their new home and identities. When he had announced to the other three his intention to infiltrate Yokai Academy, he had expected to have to force them to comply; instead, they had taken to the suggestion with odd eagerness. Elizabeth had even referred to it as a 'vacation,' an idea that had drawn more than a few laughs from the others. Mikoto, at least, enjoyed the irony: while the servants of the Hell-King scurried about, searching for any sign of Death and his generals, they were right under their noses, infecting the student body the Hell-King so cherished.

"The school?" Elizabeth asked, somehow managing to lounge atop the narrow surface of the headstone. Shrugging indifferently, she glanced down towards the remote buildings. "It makes one feel younger, at least."

"It should make you feel older, considering how long you've been-" began Russell, his words dying with a quiet squeak when he noticed the deadly glare the girl was directing towards him.

"I mean, these kids were clawin' at each other before we even got here! One good push, and this whole place can go up in flames," continued the red-head, ignoring the other two as he grinned up at the sky. "I can hardly wait to give 'em a little encouragement and watch the fireworks."

"But you will wait, right, Ken?" suggested a firm, quiet voice from the shadow of the tree. The other three Enforcers pivoted to look over at their leader, their mirth fading as they noted the serious expression he wore. "You wouldn't do anything stupid and mess up our plans, right?"

"Naw, naw, of course not!" the red-headed Enforcer insisted, all but instantly regaining his relaxed smile. "It's more satisfying when it builds slow like this."

"Good," commented Mikoto, relaxing back against the tree once more. As silence fell over the four, he turned to stare back at the school with an inscrutable expression, not bothering to look away when one of his subordinates cleared his throat.

"Though, ah… that does leave the question," started Russell with a fumbling delicacy, "why are we here in the first place? Does it have something to do with that boy that looked-"

"Of course not," interrupted Mikoto, glancing towards the other man. "It's our new 'allies' that are interested in him. Which is why, I should remind you, he is off limits." At this, he looked to each of the others in turn, waiting for them to nod before moving on.

"I won't do a thing to hurt him, I promise. But what about the girls?" Elizabeth asked casually, inspecting her nails with a feigned disinterest.

"Do as you will," Mikoto acquiesced, chuckling once.

"They didn't look too tough," Ken complained. "You can mess with 'em, Lizzie."

"Don't call me that!" she snapped. "It doesn't sound… dignified." She had taken this name several times over the long course of her existence, and felt comfortable with it, if not its truncated version.

"Sure thing, Lizzie." Ken glanced away with an edged grin as she glowered at him, rescued only when Russell offered a laugh of his own that quickly drew her ire back towards him.

"No, we're here for something else. It seems that the head of that school found some old possessions of ours, including a few that are still of interest. Particularly…" He paused, waiting until he was certain that he had the attention of each member of the trio. "A certain banner."

"The Fatal Standard," Russell whispered, surprised, and Ken whistled low under his breath. Recognition was immediate for each of the Enforcers. They could well remember the banner that had flown at the front of their forces, long, long ago, as well as the powers it contained. In the right hands, it was a potent artifact, capable of bending the wills of lesser monsters and humans to the command of its master. Of course, it had been lost since their final battle together, but regaining possession of it would go a long way towards helping them reform their armies.

"It would be nice to have that back," Elizabeth commented, undisguised desire in her voice.

"Yeah, and we'd have a ready-made army at our fingertips," Ken added, jerking a thumb towards the school. "Those that live that long, anyways."

Only one of the group was silent, his brow deeply furrowed under his hat. Finally he raised his head, looking directly at the man standing against the tree. "But… you made it, right? You could just make another one. Or, couldn't we just fight our way in and take it? I don't see the point in…" His words trailed off as he noticed the stare Mikoto had leveled towards him, complete with an expression that was smile in name only.

"I could," Mikoto admitted, his voice calming as if he spoke to a particularly slow child. "But that wouldn't go very far towards helping us forge an alliance with Fairy Tail, now would it?"

"Do we really need them?" Russell asked, but his voice was far too low for the others to hear. Mikoto still watched him, and the glint in those eyes forced Russell into a sullen silence.

"Yeah, those guys sound like they'll make pretty good lackeys," commented Elizabeth. "They want the same thing we do, mostly."

"Except they wouldn't be too thrilled to find out that we'll kill them too," Ken quipped, unconsciously reaching back to touch the hilt of his _bokken_.

"All things in time," Mikoto said sternly, pushing away from the tree. He walked forward, moving to make his way back down the hill. He didn't pause as he passed Russell, only glanced down at the other man to underscore his words. "Entertain yourselves; I'm going to go have a chat with our friend Sammael about our new 'ally' inside the school." The others murmured their farewells as he departed, watching quietly as he descended until the shadowed treeline at the base of the hill hid him from view.

"I can't believe he's back," mused Ken, wearing a decaying smile. He glanced over at Elizabeth, turmoil burning in his eyes. "Hey, you don't think he remembers about… do you?"

"Of course not," she huffed, glaring at the redhead. "We wouldn't be here if he did." She quickly pivoted, spearing the other member of their group with a glare. "And you won't be reminding him, right? You had a hand in what happened too."

"I won't tell him," Russell surrendered, paling under the shade of his hat. "We're all better off if he just doesn't think about it at all." A faltering smile crept onto his face despite the eyes focused upon him. "You might have nearly destroyed him once, but I don't think it would go so well this time."

"Let's just make sure it doesn't come to that," Elizabeth insisted, shaking her head and looking in the direction Mikoto had gone. "As long as we stay quiet and keep him focused on his schemes, that can stay a secret, all right?" When the other two Enforcers nodded, she turned her attention to the sky, watching as the sun fell towards the horizon. "It'll be just like old times."

That phrase drew chuckles from the two men on either side of her, but bitterness tainted one of them. Russell still stared in the direction their master had gone, his mind racing as he considered their situation. At the moment, he knew, there was nothing they could do but follow. As long as they were obedient, then perhaps old sins could be forgiven. If not, then it would be better to delay any direct conflict until he could be certain of a way to escape.

After all, it was always better to have Death as an ally. The opposite was too horrible to consider.

* * *

"Kurumu, the next time we take a trip, pack light. _Please_."

Beside Mizore, the blue-haired succubus chuckled self-consciously, carefully shifting the stack of boxes she was hefting as the four friends made their way around the face of the academy's main building towards the row of dorms. "In my defense," she started casually, edging away from Moka, "I actually cut down how much I was going to bring. So, really, this _is_ light, in a way."

"Next time, I'm helping you pack," Mizore promised ominously from behind Kurumu, and the only answer was another ambiguous laugh.

Despite their earlier teasing evasiveness, Moka and Mizore had both agreed to help Kurumu and Tsukune carry the succubus's belongings to her dorm room, deciding to make the trip back to the bus's drop-off point to claim what was left before they went to find Yukari and Kokoa. As eager as they were to reunite with the rest of the Newspaper Club, Kurumu had been worried about leaving her belongings out in the open, especially the heavy crate that Tsukune was carrying. The others had quickly agreed when they realized it would give them a chance to discuss their earlier encounter with the new Student Protection Committee, though that conversation had hardly proven productive.

Walking beside the others, Tsukune was still musing over that topic, unnerved more than he would admit by the appearance of the Enforcers' leader. He felt like he had seen that face before, beyond the times he had looked into a mirror. The girls had likewise seemed disturbed by Mikoto Kurono; even Mizore's quip that the other girls should pursue him and leave Tsukune to her had fallen painfully flat as her friends shivered in obvious disquiet.

Kurumu had also offered few answers about his surname, claiming that she knew of no 'Mikoto's in her family tree, though she intended to ask her mother about that the next time they spoke. That discussion had prompted a different sort of curiosity in Tsukune, who had taken the opportunity to ask her about something he had long wondered about. "Incubi?" Kurumu had responded, blinking in surprise. "Well, yeah, they exist, but… they're really rare. I don't think I've ever met one, and when I asked Mom about them…" She had winced at the memory. "For some reason, that topic always puts her in a bad mood, so I try to avoid it."

And so the mysteries had multiplied, leaving the group more befuddled with every moment. Finally they arrived at the girls' dorms, Tsukune sweating nervously as he followed his friends towards Kurumu's room. The succubus had not helped matters by emphasizing the directions to her door, complete with less-than-subtle suggestion that he might need to know how to find it if he got lonely. With the atmosphere already primed for conflict, once they arrived he had wisely deposited the crate in the room and stepped back outside, weathering the odd glances from the girls in the halls outside instead of risking an argument by staying too long in Kurumu's room. His other visit there had not ended well, back when she had accidentally charmed him, though perhaps in the future- He quickly quashed that thought, though not soon enough to keep the color from rising in his cheeks.

Tsukune was glad when the girls exited the room, ready to make their way to the clubroom for their reunion with their other friends. Kurumu lingered behind to lock the door, and he waited for her as the other two moved towards the stairs. "You know, Tsukune," she whispered shyly, offering him a secretive smile, "my offer was genuine." He could only nod in response, realizing once more how much trouble he would find himself in eventually and only halfway regretting it.

Even though Moka had definitely not heard Kurumu's quiet invitation, she still took the opportunity to remind them of the importance of secrecy as they walked towards the school's main building. "Remember, we can't let Yukari or the others find out," she stated, looking to each of them in turn. "We'll have to act like nothing's changed, at least for the time being."

"That's fine by me," Mizore commented, surprising the others. Tsukune in particular was shocked, but that was likely due to the soft caress across his lower back as she walked closer to him. "I'm good at hiding things," she pointed out, a playful light in her blue eyes as she glanced up at him.

"Hey," Kurumu started a moment later, suspicion heavy in her voice. "Wait one second. Doesn't that give you an advantage, Moka? I mean, even before the whole thing with Mori Retsu you and Tsukune were close, always making eyes at each other and sneaking off so you could drink his blood. If we act like nothing's changed, then you'll still get to act that way with him. How's that fair?" The vampire said nothing in response, looking off to the side with a mischievous smile, the tip of her tongue sticking playfully out the side of her lips.

"It's just for now," Tsukune insisted, trying to defuse the fight before it could get underway. "Eventually, we'll figure out a way to tell them, but for now…" Kurumu was unfazed, crossing her arms under her chest and glaring at her rival, while Moka grinned over to Tsukune. A sudden pinch brought a hitch to his steps, and he glanced back to Mizore, who innocently refused to meet his eyes as she pulled the sucker from her mouth and gave it a satisfied lick, utterly ignoring his furious blush.

Secrecy? This was never going to work. Tsukune sighed, already wondering when it would all come crashing down like a house of cards. At least until then, it would always be interesting… He laughed to himself as Kurumu and Moka continued squabbling and Mizore walked smirking behind him, resolving himself to face the chaos with a smile.

* * *

"We're never going to get this done in time. You know that, right?"

Kokoa leaned back in her seat, giving the spread of paper before her a contemptuous glower before looking over at the desk at the far end of the clubroom. The seat at that desk was empty, their leader having wandered off hours ago in pursuit of a 'scoop.' In pursuit of a skirt, more like, the young vampire groused, shaking her head. Just like that undependable upperclassman to hoist all of the real work onto them while he slacked off.

"We certainly won't if you don't help me work on it," Yukari grumbled, carefully trying to arrange a clipped block of text onto the page before her. Since Tsukune and the others had been sent to the human world, she and Kokoa had been forced to take on more responsibilities in order to get even their shortened version of the paper ready for printing. This particular issue was all but complete, but hopefully their friends would arrive in time to help them put the finishing touches on it. The young witch glanced over the page, frowning to herself as she considered their content. They hadn't even touched the real issue on campus, but that could hardly be helped until-

"Wow, it looks like they have everything under control. Maybe we should have stayed a few extra days after all!"

Both Yukari and Kokoa froze at the sound of the voice. Kokoa's widening eyes were confirmation enough for Yukari, who pivoted in her chair to face towards the door, gaping at Kurumu as her other friends filed into the room, broad smiles on their faces. For a long moment of shocked silence, the two youngest members of the Newspaper Club stared at the newcomers, struggling to understand why they were there a day earlier than expected. And then…

"Moka! Tsukune!"

"Sis!"

"Wow, makes you feel appreciated, doesn't it?" Kurumu grumbled over to Mizore, who rolled her eyes. Beside them, Moka was recovering from the dual tackle-hugs (Kokoa's being perhaps slightly more tackle than hug), trying to fend off her younger sister's pawing attempts to take off her rosario as Yukari struggled to cling to her and Tsukune at the same time. Despite their reactions, both Kurumu and Mizore watched them fondly, pleased to be back together with the rest of their group at last.

"I missed you so much!" Yukari squealed, a blissful smile on her face as it pressed against Moka's chest. "We only got to see you for a few minutes, and we were busy fighting that creepy shadow monster, and you've been gone for weeks!" She relinquished her grip on the vampire, but the dark shadow over her expression and her menacing chuckle did little to relieve Moka. "I won't let them take you away from me this time. I've got handcuffs, two pairs; one for you and me, and one for me and Tsukune."

"Where did she get handcuffs?" Mizore asked Kurumu bemusedly.  
"Who knows?" the succubus shrugged. "Anyways, I bet they're not as nice as the fuzzy ones Mom left for- Ah." She silenced herself, refusing to meet Mizore's cold stare. Looking towards Moka proved equally problematic, as it seemed that despite Kokoa and Yukari's enthusiasm the vampire had also heard her words, directing a similar flat glare at her friend.

"Anyways, it's about time you guys got here! We've been swamped with work, and that mutt of an upperclassman has been making the two of us do all of it!" Kokoa huffed, stepping back from her sister, her momentary lapse in composure hidden behind her usual disdain.

"Sorry, Kokoa," Moka apologized. "We really didn't have any choice."

"See how it is, Mizore?" Kurumu commented, shaking her head. "They just missed us because they wanted someone to share the work with."

"Of course not," a low voice offered from behind the succubus, making her and Mizore pivot towards the door. "After all, I've been deprived of the joys of seeing your beautiful faces for these past weeks. It's been absolute torment, being separated from you all." Smoothing back his hair with his left hand, Gin offered them a brilliant smile, the very image of a charming gentleman… if one ignored the hand that had risen to grasp Kurumu's left breast.

Kurumu's shocked expression quickly faded into a simmering anger, but despite his famed speed Gin was slow to release her chest, his fingers still twitching in a grope. That delay gave her time enough to pull her right fist back and drive it forcefully into his gut, a barking cough erupting from the werewolf's throat as he doubled over. "Pervert," Kurumu growled, still digging her fist into his stomach.

"It's good to see you too, Gin," Tsukune commented wryly as he stepped up to the older teen, reach out to grip his shoulder to keep him from falling forward as Kurumu drew back. He offered the upperclassman a bright smile that revealed his teeth, and his fingers tightened painfully on Gin's shoulder, pulling him away from Kurumu and Mizore. It was only when Gin glanced up at him that Tsukune realized what he was feeling, the emotion that had flared the second he had seen what the werewolf was doing to Kurumu. Was he really… jealous?

"Actually, I'm lying," Gin admitted, straightening with only a faint wince. He grinned at the returning four. "Mostly, I'm just glad to have you back since we needed the help getting the paper back up to speed. Now that you're here…" An ominous gleam blazed in his eyes, sending shivers racing over Tsukune and the others. "I'm not going to let you leave until we're done."

"I think I preferred his smooth talking," Mizore said, sighing deeply.

"Have things really been that bad while we've been gone?" Moka asked, looking over to the work they had interrupted.

"You could say that," Yukari admitted.

"…slave driver…" Kokoa mumbled, glowering at Gin.

"The big news is the fighting going on between two new student groups, but we haven't been able to find out much about them other than the propaganda they've been spreading," the witch continued, subtly trying to shush Kokoa. "We've been too busy to look for leads, and the Student Protection Committee has discouraged anyone else from getting involved as they pursue their own investigation."

"Those guys…" Tsukune said, thinking back to the four they had encountered. He blinked, looking over to Gin as he remembered the problems the upperclassman had had with the previous incarnation of the Enforcers. As he had expected, Gin's face was carefully blank, only the tightness around his eyes and mouth revealing the tension he was feeling.

"The smart thing would be to let them handle this," Gin admitted offhandedly, looking away from the others.

"But we've never been that kind of smart, have we?" Kurumu chuckled.

"If the trouble is that bad, we should at least look into it and see if we can help." Moka looked to her other friends, who nodded in response.

"Sitting around here has been boring. I want to see some action," Kokoa said, cracking her knuckles with a hungry grin.

Gin waited a long moment before speaking, looking to each of them. Only after he found the same sort of determination on all of their faces did he allow a slight smile to take his own lips. "It sounds like there's nothing I can do to convince you to stay out of this," he concluded without bothering to try, "but at least let me offer you a few… suggestions about how we could go about this. After all, someone has to keep you kids in line." Gin walked over to his desk at the front of the clubroom, leaning over it and placing both hands on its surface as he smirked eagerly at the others.

The other members of the Newspaper Club exchanged smiles before cheering, excited by the prospects of a new adventure. Gin let them celebrate for several moments before his expression fell into a commanding scowl. "Of course, we can only do that after this issue is finished. So… get to work!" he barked, surprising the others into silence.

Smiling as they grumbled under their breath, the members of the Newspaper Club took their seats around the spread of paper Yukari and Kokoa had been toiling on, quickly falling into the work with practiced familiarity. They would have this finished in no time, they thought, but it was the anticipation of their next project that drove them onwards. Tsukune and the girls had been away for too long, and even Tsukune would be forced to admit that it was nice to know that things hadn't changed that much in their absence. Sure, there was fighting on campus, and students running wild… but was that really so different than any other time?

And so the hours quickly faded, lost as the group enjoyed being reunited at last.

* * *

**Author's Note: **A shorter chapter this time, though mostly due to its nature as a bridge between events. Next time, the real action will begin as the Newspaper Club commences their investigation; a few new faces are sure to make their first appearance, as is a new plot revelation. I say this vaguely, of course, because I haven't _entirely_ plotted it out yet… ah heh.

Such is part of the reason I released this chapter a day early, along with the fact I had the opportunity due to a snow day, and a desire to make up for the previous chapter's slight delay. I'll be releasing the next chapter at my usual time, as next week I'll also have to spend a good deal of time averaging grades and thus will have less time to devote to this project than I would like. Such is the life of a teacher…

On the personal front, some recent events have me chuckling. First, of course, comes the fact that I now seem to have a pseudo-stalker: a student at my school has decided to make a habit of randomly popping out at me when I least expect it, harassing me whenever she gets the chance. She's no yuki-onna, but the parallel makes me laugh. That was furthered at yesterday's faculty meeting, when I discovered my classes for next year. It seems I will be teaching Journalism… I feel more and more like my protagonist.

...Except that, as faculty supervisor for the newspaper, I would actually be more like Nekonome-sensei. And that is a horrible, horrible mental image.

Anyways, one other notion to discuss before I end this note (I'm trying to restrain myself; after all, I always fear that long author's notes distract some from what they've read, and I don't want to do anything that'll divert readers from commenting on my story. ^_^;). I'm toying with the idea of making a forum on FFN's Rosario + Vampire section where authors can discuss their works; a place where writers can post notes on their stories, or talk with readers about how a tale is coming along, or even announce delays and the like. I realize that this sort of thing has been done before in other sections, but ours lacks one, and I'm sure there are a handful of writers here that would make good use of it. If you like this idea, or have any suggestions you think may be useful, feel free to send me a message. I ask that you try to not do so in a review; I'm rather covetous of those actually being about my story.

And so it's time for me to take my rest from these keys. Please, let me know how you like this installment (if, indeed, you liked it; I hope that is the case!). I shall eagerly await your response, as always…

But, perhaps a quick nap is in order. Sleep…

~Wynn Pendragon


	5. Monster Mentor

**Chapter 5**

_**Monster Mentor**_

"Good morning, Tsukune!"

Tsukune paused as he heard Moka call out his name, turning to face back down the path leading from the dorms to the school. There she was, once more wearing the familiar green jacket and plaid skirt that composed the school's standard uniform for girls, face lit by a brilliant smile as she jogged towards him. This moment was something that Tsukune had experienced hundreds of times, but as always it brought a surge of warmth and happiness to him. "Good morning, Moka!" he responded cheerily, waiting for her to catch up. As she slowed to a walk, he matched her pace as they made their way on towards the school. Since they had both left somewhat early that morning, they had no reason to rush; they were even the only ones on the path, few of their classmates having yet left their rooms.

Pleasant chitchat about the paper they had worked on the previous evening devoured the time as they drew nearer to their destination, but the closer they came the more it was obvious to Tsukune that something was keeping Moka slightly distracted. As he noticed her eyes sliding once and again towards his neck, he was easily able to surmise what was tugging at her attention. "Ah, Tsukune…" she started, a faint blush tingeing her cheeks as she slowed nearly to a stop. "Do you think that I could…?"

"Sure," he answered with an easy smile, but painful experience had long ago taught him caution. "Should we step over there?" he asked, motioning with a thumb into the trees beside the path. Moka nodded eagerly and, after the quickly check to make certain none were around to see them, the pair stepped into the forest and made their way in just deep enough to be well-hidden from sight.

Once they felt safely concealed, Tsukune stopped beside a tree and turned to Moka. She was looking down at the ground, biting her lip. Her shy hesitation surprised Tsukune, especially since it had been a day and a half since she had last drank his blood, but her thirst soon overruled that timidity. Closing the gap between them, Moka brought her hands up to his shoulders as her head tilted slightly to the side, her lips drawn to his neck by the pulsing gravity of his veins. Tsukune stiffened as he felt her fangs penetrate his skin, leaning against the tree as the familiar feeling of cloudy dizziness sought to steal his balance. Despite the hollowing feeling of his blood leaving his body, Tsukune reached out to hold Moka closer to him, forcing himself to relax. A stretched moment later, Moka reluctantly drew back, sighing blissfully with her eyes closed as she savored the lingering flavor of her meal, sinking closer to Tsukune and resting her head on his shoulder.

"So tasty," she mumbled, and he chuckled nervously at that, trying to convince himself that the trees weren't all spinning around him, that the ground wasn't wobbling like a slowing top. Finally he felt strong enough to walk away, but that wasn't really an option: Moka was still pressed against him, her arms now circling around his neck in a tight embrace as she relished his nearness just as she had enjoyed the taste of his blood. Realizing that it was time to answer a different sort of need, Tsukune returned her hug, bringing his hands together at the small of her back. They stayed like that for nearly a minute without speaking or moving, until finally Moka pulled away slightly.

"Ready to head on-?" Tsukune started, but the intent expression the vampire wore answered that question succinctly. For a fleeting second, Kurumu's words from the previous day whispered through his mind: "_Doesn't that give you an advantage_, _Moka_?" Despite the surge of guilt, Tsukune allowed himself to lean forward to meet Moka as she brought her lips closer to his. The kiss proved to be a very long, passionate one, but that didn't mean that it wasn't soon followed by another, and then a third. For both Moka and Tsukune, buried under the pleasure of the kiss and the feel of their bodies pressed against each other was a blossoming relief; even though things had returned to normal and they were back at school, they now knew they could still enjoy the fruits of their time at the Resting Place.

"I can't believe we missed him!"

The sound of the familiar voice made the lovers freeze in place, their lips still connected, as their wide eyes darted toward the path they had left. Through the tangle of branches and shadows they could see the blue hair of the girl who had spoken. The other girl with her was harder to make out, but her voice made her identity apparent a second later. "He must have left early this morning."

"You're his stalker, you should have followed him better!" Kurumu stopped and turned towards Mizore, hands balled into fists at her hips. "What if Moka gets him to herself?"

"Does that mean that if I had been the one to catch him to herself, you wouldn't have complained?" Shaking her head as Kurumu spluttered a furious denial, the yuki-onna pointed on down the path. "We haven't seen Moka yet either, so maybe they're both already in Ms. Nekonome's room."

"Maybe," Kurumu yielded reluctantly, sighing in frustration. "Come on, let's go make sure they're there." The two girls continued down the path, several other students now walking past them as the time for class to begin drew nearer.

A short distance away, Tsukune and Moka shared a glance of mutual relief as Kurumu and Mizore walked on, still clinging to their silence even after they were almost certain they were safe. Finally they relinquished their embrace and stepped away from each other, carefully making their way closer to the path and hiding until it looked clear enough for them to step back out. Several minutes passed before the stream of students stopped, and when they stepped back onto the path they quickly made their way towards the school. They would not want to be late on their first day back at school, and Kurumu and Mizore's intentions to look for them added even more haste to their progress.

Despite their quickened pace, they shared a secret smile as they rushed towards the school, exhilarated by the moment they had stolen. At the least, they knew that it would be possible to have some occasional time alone, even if they had to be especially careful. Moka's vampiric nature could give them an excuse for sneaking off together, even when they had other intentions in mind. That concept thrilled Tsukune, and made him look forward all the more to mornings such as this one.

Still, Tsukune only wished that it was enough to wash away the guilt he was feeling, as he knew it wasn't going to be easy to do the same with the other two girls. The need for secrecy would make such opportunities rare, even beyond the demands of school and their club. Swallowing painfully, Tsukune pressed himself onward, feeling anxiety wash away the edges of his earlier contentment. It would all work out, though… somehow. Hopefully.

* * *

"Welcome back!" The cheery voice of Shizuka Nekonome greeted Tsukune and Moka as they stepped into the classroom, and the teacher wore a broad grin as she watched them make their way towards their seats.

"Thanks, Ms. Nekonome," Moka responded, nodding happily to the feline teacher. Tsukune waved as well, but a shiver running across his shoulders quickly drew his attention further into the room. His cheeks flushed as he noticed Kurumu and Mizore staring straight at him; the fact that he had walked in nearly late with Moka had failed to escape their notice. Trying to keep his grin from being visibly sheepish, he made his way towards his usual seat, feeling the two pairs of eyes locked onto him. Soon, though, the whispers racing through the room offered him some distraction.

"Where have they been?"

"Didn't you hear? They got sent to the human world…"

"…got them all pregnant…"

"Why him?"

Tsukune winced as he remembered how his classmates had reacted when he had first been ordered to live at the Resting Place with Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu. Gin had hardly helped matters by fanning the flames of the students' heated imaginations, and it seemed that those stories may have solidified into fact in the minds of his fellows over the past weeks. They would have to do something to repair their reputations, but how?

"As you all may have noticed, Tsukune, Kurumu, Mizore, and Moka have been absent for some time now. The Headmaster sent them to the human world on a research project, which they only just completed," Ms. Nekonome explained to the class, her candid smile suggesting she wholly believed the fabricated story that she had been offered by the administration. "We're glad to have them back, but please refrain from asking them too many questions right now; I have a couple of more announcements to make before class starts."

Tsukune glanced around the class, shocked to find rapidly-eroding skepticism on the faces of his classmates. Several of them looked back to him and the girls for confirmation, and he quickly nodded, seizing the opportunity to clear his name. As he watched, acceptance spread across the room, the other students completely willing to believe the modified version of the truth. Maybe they knew about the Headmaster's manipulative tendencies, Tsukune mused.

"That's gotta be it," stated one whisper at the edge of his hearing. "There's no way a plain guy like him could get a girl like one of them…" His smile twitching, Tsukune let himself grit his teeth and grip his desk in lieu of a more vocal response. If they only knew…

"First off," Ms. Nekonome continued, "I'm sorry to say that none of the new students I mentioned to you yesterday will be transferring into our class." Low sounds of disappointment raced around the room, and the teacher nodded in sympathy. "I know, it's a shame. Still, try to welcome them to the school if you see them in the halls, alright?" Assorted assent as her answer, and the feline instructor nodded in satisfaction before continuing.

"Next, a reminder: this coming week will be Monster Mentoring Week, so please make certain that you have your mentor assignments and meeting locations ready before you leave for the weekend. I passed those out at the beginning of this week, so- Yes, Kurumu?"

"Monster Mentoring Week?" the succubus asked, confused. "Sorry to ask, but… what is that?"

"Oh." Ms. Nekonome's face fell as she realized her mistake. "That's right, you four wouldn't have heard of it since you weren't here. Alright, then." She glanced to the board, barely restraining the urge to redraw the illustration she had used for her initial discussion of that topic. "As you know, this school is intended to teach young monsters like you how to survive in the human world. However, the fact remains that you should also know something about your own species and culture. While you probably were taught about that when you were younger, the Academy's requisites include some further training to help you control your monstrous powers during your second year at this school."

"But… aren't we forbidden from revealing our true forms at school?" asked one student on the far side of the classroom, this fact only registering during this repetition of the teacher's speech since he hadn't listened during the first one. "How are we supposed to train our powers with that rule?"

"As I said the first time," Ms. Nekonome responded, a slight edge to her voice as she looked at the inattentive student, "you will be allowed to reveal your true forms next week, but _only_ during your training." She turned back towards the returning members of the Newspaper Club. "To help you with this, the Academy will be bringing in representatives of your races to instruct you. Typically, this role is taken up by alumni, but the Headmaster sent letters home to ask if your parents would prefer to stay at the school to oversee your training personally. This training will take place during school hours, the last hour and a half of the day for every day of next week. I've given the mentor assignments to everyone but you four… where did I leave those…?" Ms. Nekonome tapped her chin as she looked around the room, confusion thick in her voice.

A cold sweat trickled down Tsukune's back as he considered the teacher's words. They sent a letter home…? Oh, this couldn't be good; he could just imagine the look on his mother's face. And what did they expect him to do, anyways? He glanced down at the Holy Lock on his wrist for a brief moment before looking up to find Moka looking straight at him. The anxiety on her face brought his mind to other concerns; her parents never came to the school. What would the school be doing for her mentor assignment? He glanced back to Kurumu and Mizore, and saw the deep shadows over their faces. For that matter, did this mean that Ageha and Tsurara would be-?

"Oh, that's right, the assignments for you four just came in this morning. I'll speak to you after homeroom," Ms. Nekonome declared finally, smiling in relief before looking back over the class. "Now, there is one other thing that I needed to discuss with all of you. Several teachers have complained about the number of students falling asleep in their classes, and…"

And so the morning's announcements continued, Ms. Nekonome blissfully ignorant of how few of her students were now actually paying attention. In particular, Tsukune and his friends were lost in their own concerns about this new chaotic addition to their curriculum, sharing surreptitious glances as they mulled over what this would mean for their 'peaceful' school life. There was nothing they could do but wait, they knew, and so they faced the coming torturous hours with stoic resolve, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

* * *

"This is going to be trouble."

Moka nodded beside Tsukune as they walked together down the empty halls, making their way towards an office that had become all-too-familiar to the both of them. They were alone once again, despite the efforts of Kurumu and Mizore to join them; after homeroom had ended, the other two girls had been given their mentor assignments, while Tsukune and Moka had been directed to the Headmaster to discuss theirs. The last time Tsukune had seen them, they were both slumped in a cloud of miserable gloom as they stared at the papers Ms. Nekonome had given them, confirmation slips sent back to the Academy by their mothers. It seemed they would be receiving another visit from Ageha and Tsurara after all…

At the least, it had diverted their attention from his and Moka's late arrival to class, Tsukune thought with a sheepish smile. That was perhaps the only silver lining to the matter, though. He remembered all too well the chaos that had followed Ageha and Tsurara's visit to the Resting Place, and the topic of his last conversation with Kurumu's mom. Those two never failed to make things interesting, for good and ill, he thought with a grimace of a smile, and something told him this occasion would not prove to be an exception.

Moka looked over to him, smiling sympathetically as she read his expression. "It'll be alright," she reassured him, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "The Headmaster knows that you are human, so I doubt he would send one of those forms home." She whispered despite their solitude, always careful with the secret of Tsukune's true nature.

Tsukune nodded to her, somewhat relieved that she had misread his anxiety. "I don't know, he might have just to make my life harder. I sometimes think he has a grudge against me," he quipped, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Far from it, Tsukune Aono." The pair stopped as a man stepped out of a side passage in front of them, freezing in place as if caught red-handed. The black suit and sunglasses he wore cemented their panic; their previous encounters with the Headmaster's personal guardians had always presaged trouble. It took a moment longer for his features to rekindle a faint memory for Tsukune. He had seen one of the guardians with dark hair and a goatee before… at the pond above the Resting Place, with Mizore; that was it. "He always has your best interests in mind, even if it might not seem that way."

"You can say that again," Tsukune mumbled as Moka took another step forward, imposing herself slightly between Tsukune and the older man. The guardian smiled slightly at her protective instinct, making no move to come closer. "It's odd that my best interests involve me nearly dying on a weekly basis."

"Only nearly," the man responded dryly, the humor of the statement weakened by his blank expression. "But, if that is your main concern, then I have good news for you." The two teens stared at him cautiously as he drew a pair of envelopes from a deep pocket in his jacket. He extended them towards Tsukune and Moka, who were slow to step forward to claim them. "These envelopes contain the details of your mentoring assignments for next week: meeting locations and times, as well as a brief summary of our expectations." He fell silent, waiting as the teens opened the seals and scanned the papers inside.

Tsukune's eyes widened as he read the first form, blinking in confusion. "The faculty library?" he asked, looking up at the dark-haired man.

"That is correct. You will find directions inside; be very careful, as it's deep within this building, and you wouldn't want to get lost." Despite the even delivery of those words, a chill danced up Tsukune's spine. "The Headmaster decided that your time would be best spent researching monster culture and history, considering how little you know about that subject." Watching the young man blink in surprise, the guardian offered him a flat smile. "Of course, we couldn't call in a ghoul to train you, and you've already been working at controlling your monstrous power. You'll be resuming those studies after Mentoring Week is over, of course, so you should enjoy this time off."

Tsukune sighed, remembering his previous training sessions with Inner Moka in the alternate realm known as 'Paradise.' The Headmaster had ordered him there to work on restraining his inner ghoul, the darker side of his personality that had been born from injections of Moka's vampiric blood. Lately his training had consisted of sparring with Inner Moka, and, while he always enjoyed getting to spend time with his vampire's friend other persona, she was not one to hold back. He had lost count of the times she had nearly killed him…

"I don't understand," Moka said suddenly, staring at her own letter. "It says that I'm to report to 'Paradise' to study with a Guardian-"

"That is correct," the man interrupted, nodding solemnly. "That would be me. I am Michael, a member of the Hell-King's personal guard and the one responsible for training the rest of the guardians you see around this school. Since your circumstances are special, it was decided that this would be the best way to utilize your Mentoring Week." The goateed man inclined his head slightly towards the vampire. "I look forward to the opportunity to work with you."

"Ah, the same," Moka stammered, glancing between the somber man and the paper she held. "Is there anything I should bring? The Belmont-" Her eyes widened as she remembered how she had first lost the magic-cancelling whip: after her other side had taken it without permission and 'forgotten' to return it, the Headmaster had restricted her usage of it. He had sent it with her to the human world, but she had yet to bring it back to him. "Oh, I was going to return that today! Let me go to my room and take it to the Headmaster-"

"Not necessary," Michael interrupted, sticking a hand out to calm her. "You'll need it next week, since we can't have you removing your seal for that long. Anyways…" He paused, a cloud passing over his face. "It wouldn't be possible to give it to the Headmaster right now."

"Ah, good," Moka commented, relieved, but Tsukune latched on to the guardian's final words.

"Why wouldn't it be possible?" he asked, oddly concerned.

The older man took a long time to respond, his face carefully composed as he stared at Tsukune. Finally he nodded slightly, as if confirming something to himself. "I suppose it will be alright, considering how much he depends on you. You have a right to know." Michael looked to the side, frowning, as he tried to force the words free. "The Headmaster is not at the Academy at the moment."

"What? Did he leave on business, or something like that?"

"We don't know." The surprise on the faces of Moka and Tsukune shifted into open shock. "He simply disappeared a couple of days ago, without giving any notice or explanation. We assume that he has left to investigate the sudden surge in Fairy Tale activity, but we have no way of knowing for certain. Until he contacts us…" Michael let his sentence trail off, grimacing darkly and shaking his head. A moment later he composed himself, turning his attention back to the two students. "The administration is capable of running this school in his absence, so it's very likely no one will even notice he is gone for the time being."

"You hope," Moka continued for him, her eyes slightly narrowed, drawing a tight smile from the older man.

"You can tell the other two who were with you at the Resting Place, but no one else; not faculty, not even the other members of your club. We have to keep this from spreading. The situation is volatile enough without certain forces feeling like they can act openly while he is gone." Michael stared at the two until they nodded, silently agreeing to his command. With that, the guardian turned back in the direction he had come. "I suppose I should tell you to stay out of trouble, but from my understanding of your history it would be pointless. Just try not to end up over your head, and come to us if you find out anything significant. We'll be in touch if need be; otherwise…" He glanced back to nod at Moka, "I will see you next week. Come ready to train." With that, he walked back into the side hall he had come from, the sound of his footsteps receding into the distance as Moka and Tsukune shared a long look.

"What were you saying about trouble?" Moka asked quietly, drawing an uncomfortable chuckle from Tsukune. He shook his head, shrugging listlessly.

"Look at it this way: if he isn't here, he can't get us into any more life-threatening situations, right?" Moka's grave stare leeched all humor from his expression. "Yeah, you're right, he probably can. Still, at least we're back with the whole group, right? We can take care of whatever they throw at us." He forced more confidence into his words than he necessarily felt, but uttering them did make him feel better. "We should get back to class. We'll talk this over with Kurumu and Mizore later; they'll want to know about what's happening."

Moka nodded at that suggestion, and the two started back down the empty halls they had followed, their pace slower than before. As they walked, Tsukune felt something brush against his hand, and looked down to find Moka's beside it. Smiling compassionately, he took her hand in his, linking their fingers together, and she offered him a grateful look as she let that connection drain away the anxiety she felt. Together, they made their way back to their friends, feeling the weight of their worries lighten for just the moment.

As long as they all stood together, Tsukune reassured himself, they could handle anything. That idea had been tested many times so far, and it had never been proven wrong. He doubted this time would be the exception.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Grr… it's been a while since I last wrote a chapter that vexed me quite like this one. I apologize if it doesn't seem quite up to my usual standard, but I kept running into a wall when I tried to overhaul it. As I have often said before, this chapter is flagged for an eventual touch-up, so please feel free to give me feedback.

It does, however, accomplish the main things I set out to do, namely introduce three of the secondary plot threads that will run throughout this tale. In that extent, I am quite pleased with this installment, since I can now continue on without having to suffer any major derails from the primary plot. Next chapter, look forward to learning more about the student organizations that has Yokai Academy up in arms, as well as considerably more character interaction with the other members of the Newspaper Club.

Hrm, perhaps that was one of the main reasons I was less than content with this section, though it was necessary to set up the romantic subplot. After all, to quote myself from way back from Out of Nightmares: resolution requires conflict. Moka will have her own concerns soon enough, but Kurumu and Mizore are going to quickly run out of patience for this 'secrecy' business. And then… delicious chaos.

Ah, that was the other thing I was going to discuss, albeit (comparatively) briefly, in this note. I'm sure by now many of you will have read the latest scanslated release; if you are not among those ranks, please skip this and the next paragraph or risk spoilers. To the rest of you, well… I'm sure you can guess how a harem-shipper like me took the latest chapter, but, if you can't, I'll say that it involved copious amounts of rage and demoralizing dismay. Two weeks have passed since I first looked over the raws, however, and I've come to accept this new traumatic section with a certain perspective. As I realized during a conversation with Artful Lounger, this can likely go one of two ways: first is the one that many people choose to expect, that this will be the beginning of the end for the harem. I won't deny my trepidation that such may be the case, but I suggest an alternate possibility, namely something in line with my resolution/conflict theory. Let's be honest: when have we gotten the best ship teasing from Tsukune for the other girls? Usually after they've gone through hell (his blush at the end of the Orchid Dream chapter, his anguish during the Snow Oracle arc, etc.). So, perhaps Ikeda is merely pushing conflict once more. Will they snap back or break? Only time, and our devious mangaka, can tell, and both seem to be fairly tight-lipped.

Still, whatever may happen, my plans for this tale remain unchanged, and come the worst I shall strive to provide those likeminded of you with at least one source for content dealing with all three primary pairings. After all, many people have their favorite 'ship in this universe; I embrace the fate of a fleet. To quote myself once more from when I first read this latest chapter of the manga… "Call me Commodore."

Bah, enough rambling madness from me for now. I'll be starting that forum this weekend, as well as chapter 6, but for now it's time I hit the pillows. Before I can work, first I must sleep…

~Wynn Pendragon


	6. Organizational Chaos

**Chapter 6**

_**Organizational Chaos**_

Tsukune and Moka rushed through the halls towards the clubroom, deeply conscious of the fact that they were running late and that their friends were almost certainly waiting for them to begin their meeting. Their tardiness wasn't any fault of their own: Ms. Ririko had asked to see them, giving them her compliments on staying on top of the work she had sent them during their time at the Resting Place, as well as her praise for helping Kurumu and Mizore to do the same. Uncertain as to whether that final remark was a hidden reprimand for the times the other two girls had peeked at their work, Tsukune and Moka had nervously accepted the math teacher's words before hastily retreating, though not before Ms. Ririko had offered Tsukune another chance for personal tutoring. Remembering his last session with the lamia had given Tsukune another reason to flee, and so they had made good time rushing to the Newspaper Club's room.

Not good enough time, he realized as he stepped into the room, Moka just behind him. Instantly five faces turned to stare at them, faint hints of impatience on each of them. Gin was the most blatant, arching an eyebrow as he smirked at the pair. "If you two have to sneak away to make out, don't make the rest of us wait until you're finished," the upperclassman joked, shaking his head in mocking condemnation. A fleeting memory of that morning spread crimson across Tsukune's cheeks, but a glimpse of the unhappy look Mizore and Kurumu were directing at him remedied his blush. "Go ahead, have a seat, and let's get started," Gin continued, motioning towards the table, upon which were spread a selection of folders and fliers. "We have quite a bit to talk about."

Moka and Tsukune did as he suggested, taking two of the open seats. Tsukune found himself between Yukari and Kurumu, who stared at him with quiet concern. "Are you alright, Tsukune?" Kurumu asked softly, forgetting her own issues for the moment.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," he said reassuringly, smiling as he glanced towards her.

"You would think he would be feeling better than usual. You haven't suffocated him with those balloons all day!" Yukari pointed out with a sharp grin. "Maybe his brain isn't used to having this much oxygen."

"She's right, you haven't been all over him today like you usually are. Decided to change tactics or something?" Kokoa asked sardonically. "Don't tell me you've decided to move on."

"Not at all!" Kurumu objected in a huff. "Here, watch." She turned back to Tsukune with a smile, starting to reach out to pull him towards her. She stopped midway as her eyes met his, and a deep red blush erupted on both of their cheeks at the same moment. They had done this so many times before, their ritual 'skinship,' but now that they were actually in a relationship it felt… different, more intimate. Not something so easily done in front of all of their friends-

Tsukune lurched forwards into Kurumu's embrace, the hidden hand on his back shoving him towards the succubus, who instinctively wrapped her arms around his head and held him to her chest. She stared in shock at Mizore, whose sparkling eyes well communicated her thoughts: 'You owe me one.' The succubus blinked as Tsukune began to flail, coming back to herself and releasing him.

"See?" Kurumu said triumphantly as Tsukune gasped for breath. "I just hadn't had a good opportunity today, that's all."

"Right," Yukari said uncertainly, the faintest glimmer of suspicion on her young face.

Eager to change the subject, Kurumu looked to Gin, who was impassively flipping through papers in the folder he had claimed from table. "Should we start discussing whatever you called us here for?" she suggested hopefully.

"If you all are finished, sure," Gin grumbled through gritted teeth, his expression vaguely akin to a smile as he stared at the asphyxiated teen across the table from him. "Some of us have better things to do than watch your public displays of over-affection."

"Jealous," Yukari muttered under her breath, ignoring the glare he pointed towards her.

"Anyways," Gin commented, the raised pitch of his voice communicating the dwindling amount of control he had over his irritation, "here is all the information we have compiled over the two student organizations that have been causing the fighting on campus. It's not all that much, but that's the point of having you all here; after today, we'll start an in-depth investigation and see what we can come up with." He smiled confidently, his tone purely business now as even his accent began to fade. "S.M.A.S.H. or M.U.N.C.H., which do you want to start with?"

"Monsters United," Yukari quickly requested. "At the meeting I attended, they got the crowd quite agitated. They seem more likely to be the ones starting the fights, if you ask me."

Gin nodded noncommittally as he picked up one of the folders before him, opening it to pull out a handful of papers, which he passed to Kokoa beside him. "Here's the basic facts. 'Monsters United to Negate Cohabitation with Humanity' was officially founded a couple of weeks ago, a few weeks after the other club. Despite the fact that they're the newer organization, they have a lot more documentation." Gin hefted the thick folder and showed it to the others. "Almost as if they wanted to keep everything nice and official."

"Makes sense. They are the ones speaking against the idea this whole school was founded on," Mizore pointed out. "How did they get approval to start their club, anyways?"

"I'm not certain, but if I had to guess, I would say that they had enough backing that the administration couldn't turn them down without an uproar. Plus, since the other group had already been accepted, they may have used them as a precedent," Gin responded, shrugging.

"Sounds political," Kokoa said disdainfully, passing Tsukune the stack of papers Gin had pulled from the folder. Tsukune accepted them, turning the papers over to discover that they were student profiles. His eyes fell on the picture adorning the one on top: a male student with light brown hair and black wire-rimmed glasses, his emotionless expression still somehow managing to convey an aloof sneer.

"That kind of politics is business as usual for Hirukawa Andon, their president. He's a senior, pretty highly ranked academically, but not many friends."

"Nerd," Kokoa concluded, to which Gin nodded easily, causing the others around the table to shake their heads at the pair.

Tsukune scanned over the page he held, finding that it confirmed Gin's words. "This doesn't list his monster species," he noted, looking up to the werewolf.

"No documents I could get my hands on had it listed, and he's not tellin'," Gin responded. "Not that I could ask…"

"Why not?" Kurumu asked sharply, latching on to the almost-hidden implications of those words.

"I'll… get to that in a minute," Gin declared resolutely, not meeting his friends' eyes. "Anyways, moving on: The other officers are Sakuya Kodama and Pawaru Mikawa, both juniors and, according to the rumors I've heard, cousins. I couldn't get a full roster, but I have a sinking suspicion that it would be pretty big. Even some of the faculty have started to openly support them."

Tsukune glanced at the other profiles, two unfamiliar girls he assumed to be the ones Gin had named, before passing the papers on to Kurumu. "Do we know which teachers are on their side?"

"Some, yes," Gin answered, tapping the folder. "None that you have in your classes. The list of teachers supporting S.M.A.S.H. is almost as long, though, and includes a few familiar names: Excellent Maki, the English teacher, for one. But more about that in a minute. Let's see…" Gin rubbed his chin as he stared down at the papers in front of him. "No membership requirements, no official ties to other clubs… _yet_." The werewolf frowned as he said that, shaking his head and lowering the folder to the table. "That's the rough basics. Any questions?" He glanced around the table, seeing his friends shake their heads. "Moving on, S.M.A.S.H.," Gin said, picking up the other folder in front of him and pulling more profiles from its interior, passing them once more to Kokoa. "Pretty similar story. The Society of Monsters Assembled for the Study of Humanity started several weeks ago, just before the mess with that nightmare monster. No complete roster, no official clubs ties, several faculty members supporting them from the background. They weren't doing rallies like Monsters United until recently, but now they've had almost as many, and they're getting angrier every time. I did find their description in the club listing." Gin paused, his voice taking on a mockingly refined tone as he continued, "'An assemblage of those who bear a burning curiosity about the human race and their culture, united in purpose to research the nature of our neighbors and to further our ties with humanity.'" Wonder replacing scorn in his voice, Gin paused, lowering the folder to stare balefully at Tsukune. "What's so special about you guys, anyways?"

"Moka apparently thinks he tastes good," Kurumu offered snidely.

Beside her, Mizore snorted. "So do y-" She froze in place. "A lot of monsters he's run into," she finished mechanically, not meeting anyone's eyes as Kurumu and Moka sweated in silence.

"Right…" Gin mumbled, watching them bemusedly. Shaking his head, he returned to the folder without further comment. "Ah, they have three primary officers. The president is another senior, "Iron Fist" Ceann Macha."

"'Iron Fist?'" Moka interrupted, blinking. "Is she supposed to be a tyrant?"

"Ah…" Gin hesitated, subconsciously reaching back to rub a long-healed bruise on the back of his head. "Y-yeah, that's it. A real dictator. And prude." Across the table, Tsukune reached out to take the profiles from Yukari and immediately glanced down at the picture on the first one, unsurprised to find that Ceann was an attractive girl with a stern expression. Her face was pale and featured high cheekbones and cerulean eyes, and teal hair cascaded past her shoulders. Tsukune noticed that, while she wore an otherwise normal uniform, she also wore bulky enameled shoulderpads and… was that a black cape? 'How have I not seen this girl on campus?' he wondered. 'Ah, that's right. This whole school is full of weirdoes. She'd fit right in.'

"You wouldn't happen to have any more pictures of her, would you, Gin?" Kurumu asked, leaning towards Tsukune to look at the photograph.

"Quite a few, actually, but-" Gin paused, realizing why the girls in the room were staring flatly at him. He hastily continued, "Next, we have the Megijima brothers, Tora and Ushi. Their record isn't the best; they were in a lot of fights even before they got involved with S.M.A.S.H., though they seem to have calmed down since they met Ceann. They're juniors in Class 4, and it's pretty rare to see one without the other." As Gin explained, Tsukune flipped the page to glance at the pictures of Ceann's subordinates. At first glance, it was hard to tell that they were brothers: the boy in the picture marked 'Tora' had brilliant red hair and a rounded face, and was grinning viciously up from the page, while Ushi had deep blue hair and angled features, his expression one of smirking superiority. Tsukune couldn't remember ever encountering them, and something about their faces made him glad for it.

"No full roster for S.M.A.S.H. either, but from what I can guess it's a bit smaller than Monsters United. Also, no official ties to other clubs for now, but I have a feeling that's about to change."

"What do you mean?" Moka asked, concerned.

Gin did not answer, instead looking down to Yukari, who nodded back to him. The upperclassman took a seat as the young witch stood, taking control of the briefing. "We haven't been able to find out much, but some of the students we talked to mentioned that both groups have been going to all of the clubs on campus and asking for their support. We think that they may be trying to use an old bylaw that would let them order the other club disbanded if they get the signatures of a certain percentage of the student body. Plus, they went to some of the athletic clubs first: the Thai Boxing Club, the Wrestling Club, the Karate Club…"

"The fights they've been having… both clubs are trying to get people to help them beat up the other side!" Mizore concluded, surprised.

"Sounds about right," Gin commented from his seat, leaning back casually. "They even tried to recruit me, actually."

"And how did that go?" Kurumu demanded, suspicion gleaming in her violet eyes.

"Remember how I said that me and Hirukawa weren't on the best terms?" Gin grinned wolfishly. "Yeah, that's why. Cost me a drink, but it was worth it to see the look on his face when I poured it over his head."

"The Megijima brothers tried to make me sign up for their club," Kokoa added with a smirk. "They thought that scaring me would work." She chuckled ominously, drawing shivers from the other teens around the table.

"But, those times gave us an idea," Yukari explained, glancing nervously over at the younger vampire. "We need to get information about what both groups are doing, but we don't want to officially tie the Newspaper Club to either of them. So, we though that we could have a couple of us each infiltrate their organizations, and use what we learn to determine the best way to calm down the situation."

"That sounds like it could work, but won't they suspect something?" Tsukune nodded towards Gin and Kokoa. "After what you did, they probably won't trust you."

"Which is why we thought that having you four join instead would be the best way." Tsukune, Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu shared a glance as Yukari spoke. "You weren't here when all this started, so they will be more likely to believe that you wanted to join for your own reasons after you heard about them."

"Problem," Mizore interjected, raising her hand. "I can see what you mean for us girls, but what about Tsukune? Both groups deal with humans, and, well…"

"We thought that you could sign up with S.M.A.S.H., since Monsters United is the anti-human group," Yukari suggested to Tsukune.

"But won't they know more about humans? Maybe they would have an easier time telling that Tsukune isn't a monster." Moka glanced to her friend, concerned.

"Good point," Yukari admitted, frowning deeply as she glanced down at the folders Gin had held. "Maybe I could go instead, since they never spoke to me."

"That would work just as well. Tsukune can stay here with Kokoa and work on the paper," Gin agreed. "Someone has to stay focused on the next issue while the rest of you investigate."

"And you certainly aren't going to be doing any of the work," Kokoa grumbled, drawing a flat stare from the upperclassman.

"Then the main thing that's left is to pick which club you want to investigate." Yukari reached over to claim the folders, opening the one on top. "They both have meetings after school at the same time. The only real difference is what they tend to discuss: Monsters United focuses on monster history and heritage, while S.M.A.S.H. talks about human culture."

"Can I see that?" Kurumu asked, pointing to one of the fliers on the table in front of Yukari. She nodded, extending the paper to the succubus, who quickly scanned over the page. Her eyes locked on one of the final lines on the advertisement: 'Learn the best ways to win a human's heart!' "I pick S.M.A.S.H.!" Kurumu loudly declared, Mizore echoing the sentiment as she noticed the same words on the paper.

Yukari and Moka shared a long look of exasperation, though joy quickly blossomed on the witch's face. "I guess that means Moka and I are together!" she cheered, closing the folder and beaming at the vampire. "We'll investigate Monsters United." Across the table, Moka nodded hesitantly, not entirely approving of the choice but willing to go along with it.

"Then it's decided," Gin confirmed, nodding officially. "We've still got some time, so let's go over the rest of the information we've managed to pull together. Monday, you'll go to your respective groups and try to join, and we'll go from there." His hands spread the papers out towards the other members of the Newspaper Club. "Each of you, take a stack and get to reading. Share anything you think is important, and we'll get a battle-plan together." The rest of the group reached out to claim the nearest sheaf of printouts or fliers and dove into the reading, some of them taking out pens and underlining things they thought might be significant.

As Tsukune read, he struggled to keep his mind on the words in front of him. This wasn't the first time anti-human bias had been an issue for him at school, but this time it was coming from nearly half the student body, and it was considerably louder than before. Maybe they could manage to defuse the matter, or get help from the administration if they found proof of something wrong. Still, that would only work if there really was someone intentionally causing trouble, not if this was a result of natural prejudice and anger.

He choked back a sigh, feeling depression weigh at his chest. During his time at the Academy, he had started to dream that maybe someday, somehow, humans and monsters would be able to get along and acknowledge each other as equals. S.M.A.S.H. sounded like a good start to him, but if it caused such a backlash, then the situation might be worse even than he had believed. He shook his head, forcing himself back into his reading. He would do what he could, and take encouragement from those who shared his perspective and dreams. They couldn't change centuries of hatred in a day, but maybe, eventually... He clutched the paper and bolstered his resolve, determined to do what he could for now. The rest would come with time.

* * *

"Alright, everyone. Meet here briefly after class Monday, and then you'll go to your respective clubs and try to sign up," Gin concluded, watching the others stretch and yawn. Dusk had begun to dull the sky some time ago, and exhaustion had begun to tug at their eyelids as they scanned over page after page. Their efforts were collected on two sheets of paper, all of the information they could find of possible relevance, but even that felt woefully inadequate.

"I can't believe I'm going to be stuck here all week with _him_ while you four get to have real fun," Kokoa groused, both Gin and Tsukune staring at her as they tried to deduce which of them she had meant. Her complaints had gotten more and more frequent as the hours had passed. For all her skill in a fight, it seemed Kokoa was less suited for research.

"Not our fault you got into a brawl with their vice presidents," Kurumu responded unsympathetically, stretching her back over the top of her chair.

"Well, that was only S.M.A.S.H., right? You could always take my place and apply to Monsters United, since you didn't fight with them," Moka suggested, drawing a glare from Mizore and Kurumu as they realized her real intent.

Kokoa was slow to respond, save for a slight giggle. "Well, you see, there was a whole bunch of those guys too, and they just wouldn't shut up about their club, and-"

"Enjoy working on the paper, Kokoa," Mizore responded pitilessly, and the others nodded in complete agreement.

"Aww, come on!" Kokoa sulked, crossing her arms before her chest. Her eyes lit up, however, as she watched Moka stand from her seat. "Say… who did they get to do your Monster Mentoring? Is it another vampire? Can I join in and train with you?"

"Ah…" Moka glanced to Tsukune, who shrugged. "I'm going to be working with one of the Headmaster's guards, actually."

"What?" Kokoa shouted, incensed. Nearby, Gin looked at Moka with silent intensity, while Kurumu and Mizore both stared at her incredulously.

"Oh, don't tell me that it's that Gabe guy," Kurumu snorted, shaking her head. "That no-good sneak couldn't teach a fish how to swim."

"No, it's Michael," Moka corrected her.

"This sucks! You should just train with me instead of wasting your time with them! We vampires are stronger than them, and you know it."

"Kokoa…"

"You still have the Belmont, right? Well, just skip out on him and come with me. We'll get way more done, and you won't even have to bring Tsukune-"

"I'm going back to the dorms. Good luck calming her down," Kurumu remarked, walking towards the door. "My mom's supposed to be arriving tomorrow; you'll be there, right?" Her gaze fell on Tsukune, and he nodded, as did several of the others.

"Hey, I wasn't done talking-"

Tsukune nearly jumped as he felt a cool hand brush against his. "My mom will be coming too, so be ready," Mizore warned him with a mischievous smile. She trailed after Kurumu, Yukari falling in behind her. "See you then!"

As the group said their farewells, Tsukune felt a sudden resurge of his earlier guilt. He had stolen a moment alone with Moka that morning, but with Ageha and Tsurara arriving the next day it would only get harder to do the same with Kurumu and Mizore. He clenched his fists as he considered that, resolving himself to do what he could right then to help the situation. With that in mind, he glanced over to Moka, who blinked at him as he surreptitiously motioned with his eyes in the direction the other girls had gone. A flicker of regret passed over her face, but she subtly nodded, letting him chase after the others as she turned back to deal with Kokoa.

"See you all tomorrow!" Tsukune shouted as he walked out of the clubroom, making it several steps beyond the doorway before letting his pace increase. The three girls couldn't have made it far, especially since they had gone in a group. He would just have to find a way to separate them from Yukari, and then he-

"Whoof!" The breath burst from Tsukune in a rush as he slammed face-first into a human obstacle, rebounding and tumbling back onto the floor. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked up to the person he had run into, whose footing had proven to be considerably more secure. "Sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was going," Tsukune apologized sincerely.

The young man standing above him looked down with a nascent sneer, but the growing expression was washed away by an apparent tide of recognition. Tsukune couldn't say the same: he couldn't recall ever seeing this person, a boy his own age with light brown hair and emerald eyes. The teen's sharp features tightened into a cold smile as he stared down at Tsukune, taking a moment to respond to the apology. "Ah, not to worry," he offered smoothly, glancing quickly to the side as Tsukune climbed back to his feet. He had been walking the halls with several of his friends, and his gaze focused on one of them, another young man wearing a sweatshirt with hood pulled over his head, before returning his eyes to Tsukune. "It happens."

"Ah, right. Excuse me, I'll-"

"Wait, you're Tsukune Aono, aren't you?" Tsukune nodded at the question, unnerved by the brightening smile the young man wore. Now that he thought about it, there was something familiar about the other's demeanor, but he still couldn't place where he might have seen him. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kamui Ruthven," the young man offered, extending his hand for a shake.

Tsukune reached out his own hand to accept the shake, finding Kamui's grip to be cool and uncomfortably tight. He glanced down to discover that Kamui wore a large signet ring, but the angle of their hands hid its surface from sight. "A pleasure," Tsukune responded, trying to overcome his confusion. "How did you know my-?"

"Ah, sorry," Kamui swiftly interrupted. "How rude of me. I'm new to this school, but I took the opportunity to research some of the students in my grade; your name and picture came up as president of Class 1."

"Ah, right. Welcome to Yokai Academy," Tsukune nodded in greeting, still not feeling comfortable with the cold gleam in the other boy's eyes. He felt an instinctive urge to put as much distance between himself and the newcomer as he could. "Sorry, but did you see three girls pass by a moment ago?"

"Of course." Kamui extended an arm to point down the hall that he had come from. "They were walking in that direction."

"Thanks! See you around." Tsukune smiled gratefully as he trotted through the midst of the group. He restrained himself from running until he was safely around the next corner, worried that Kurumu and Mizore would reach their dorm before he would have a chance to speak to them. At the least, he refused to admit to himself, that was only one reason that he wanted to sprint down the halls. The other reason had something to do with the cold green eyes that he could feel staring into him, even after walls hid him from Kamui's sight.

* * *

"So, that's Tsukune Aono. I'm not impressed."

"I thought they said we're supposed to stay away from that guy and his friends," a hesitant voice offered as the group stood still in the hallway, most of them watching their leader expectantly.

Kamui Ruthven let his eyes turn back to the young man with the hood, his smile sharpening to an edge. "Why, Moroha, you're being awfully timid for someone who said he would serve me without question. Have you lost your nerve already?"

"That's not it." The other boy rubbed his right cheek unconsciously, inadvertently sliding back the hood to reveal elfin features and narrow eyes. "I just thought we promised Fairy Tale that we'd do whatever those guys told us."

"Feh." Kamui shook his head disdainfully, turning away from his subordinate. "We merely ran into him in the halls. That couldn't be helped, could it?" Even if the other teen wanted to respond, he carefully restrained himself, instead staring reticently at his leader. "Don't worry, we're leaving." He started to take a step forward, but paused, instead turning back to scan slowly over each of his followers. "Still, there's no reason to tell Mikoto and his goons about this, alright?" The final word carried a deadly intensity, and each member of the group nodded their compliance, ending with Moroha's mumbled assent. With their obedience established, Kamui walked on, his smile growing genuine.

For now, he had to follow the commands of Mikoto Kurono and Sammael, but eventually he would have his own opportunities. Kamui forced himself to take the hallway leading away from the Newspaper Club's room, his earlier research letting him know where it was, and who would still be in it. It would be their turn eventually, he promised himself hungrily, but he could wait for now.

They had a lot of work to do, first.

* * *

"Oh, no…"

Tsukune stared in despair at the trio as they ran towards the girl's dorms, Kurumu at the lead. The succubus held Yukari's pointed hat aloft, laughing easily as the witch desperately chased her, Mizore trailing just behind. Their race had brought them to their destination faster than Tsukune could match, and now it was too late for him to get their attention without following them to their rooms.

That idea made Tsukune wince; he could already imagine how _that _would end. No, he would just have to wait for another time. Surely the next week would offer more opportunities than he had thought…

Surrendering, Tsukune turned to walk to his own room, fighting to ignore the bitter taste at the back of his mouth. This was only their second day back at Yokai Academy, but already the necessary secrecy was beginning to wear at him. He knew that he would have to find some way of spending equal time with each of the girls, but the question of 'how?' was still hovering in front of him. He found himself longing once more for the Resting Place, and forced his mind to turn to other matters than those pleasant memories.

He had enough to worry about: Monster Mentoring week, the investigation of S.M.A.S.H. and M.U.N.C.H., even his normal schoolwork. Girl troubles should be the least of his problems. Surely, with all that was happening, Kurumu and Mizore wouldn't mind having to wait for things to settle, and maybe he would be equally fine with having to postpone their time together.

Sighing, Tsukune continued on his path. He could only wish that he really believed any of that.

* * *

**Author's Note: **They say that pain is the best teacher, and so, over the past few days, I was well-taught not to make statements like "Next week should be far quieter, and I should have plenty of time to work!". Bah!

Oh, well. I may be an hour or so late, but at this time of the morning(night?) I doubt many of you will care. I was forced, however, to publish this before having my editor scan over my final two sections. I hate to repeat this so often, but I'm flagging those scenes for potential modification; these notes serve well as a reminder to myself for that purpose.

Moving on to the content of this chapter: I do regret having to do quite so many introductions here, though many of them were not quite complete (I have already depicted Hirukawa, the leader of Monsters United, for example). Fortunately, the way I have chosen to construct this tale allows me a chance to do a 'prolonged introduction,' talking about the characters before my protagonists directly encounter them. Perhaps that will somewhat mitigate the effect of doing so many at once. Kamui, of course, is the exception, but he is a bit of a wild card even to me as the author…

Next time, look forward to getting to see Ageha and Tsurara once more, and watch secrecy get put to the test. Other secrets will be beginning to emerge as the plots of Fairy Tale and the Four may begin to come to light… that is, should I manage to fit it all in that installment, anyways. ^_^;

Now, though, it's time for me to sleep- Oh, wait, that's right, I still have to do my late section for Toren. And that article for the local papers about our tournament performance. And I still owe some people reviews. And then there's lesson plans, and grading… (Sob)

So, yes, sleep. Eventually.

~Wynn Pendragon


	7. New Additions

**Chapter 7**

_**New Additions**_

"Hey, Tsukune! Over here!"

Tsukune stood on the tips of his toes as he strained to see over the sea of heads, finally catching a glimpse of blue hair and a waving hand. Kurumu was jumping up and down, still not certain she had gotten his attention, but she stopped as Tsukune and Moka made their way through the press of bodies in her direction. Mumbling apologies as he waded through the milling students, Tsukune made halting progress, but finally emerged at Kurumu's side, offering his greetings to her and the other two girls at her side.

"Crowded, isn't it?" Mizore commented, looking as if she felt out of place in the swarm of students waiting at the drop-off point just beyond the tunnel leading out of Yokai Academy's barrier and into the human world. Tsukune stopped beside her, placing himself between her and the wall of people, and she offered him a grateful smile.

"Well, while the Academy brings in representatives of the most common monster races for Monster Mentoring Week, a lot of parents still want to take part. Plus, when you consider how many different monster races are represented here, it makes sense that there would be quite a few that the administration couldn't provide for," Yukari explained, holding to her hat tightly as she tried to avoid being bumped into by the chuckling pair of boys behind her, their attention consumed by their own conversation.

"Hey, that reminds me," Kurumu blurted, looking down at the witch. "You never told us whether or not your parents would be coming."

"They couldn't get time off from their jobs," Yukari admitted, her smile faintly melancholic. Her expression brightened with her next words. "So, instead, Ruby will be in charge of my mentoring!"

"Hunh, that works, I guess," Kurumu yielded.

"Just be careful what she teaches you," Tsukune mumbled, remembering his own training session with the elder witch. It had been first time trying to control his monstrous energy, and Ruby's responses to the shocks from his failed attempts had been… interesting.

"Hey, the buses are coming!" Moka pointed out, standing on her tiptoes and looking over the crowd. The crowd shifted as people tried to get further out of the way as the lumbering vehicles trailed past, the lead bus stopping a good distance away as the final one emerged from the tunnel. With a screech almost muted by the whispered conversations racing through the throng, the doors jerked open. As the first parents began to step off the buses, the front ranks of the students raced forward to meet them.

"Ooh, we're never going to find them like this," Kurumu fumed, once again hopping up and down as she looked from bus to bus in search of her mother.

While the others tried to help search, Tsukune's attention was pulled in another direction. Realizing something was wrong without knowing how, he glanced over to Moka, finding her staring at some of the students as they embraced their parents whole-heartedly. The sad smile she wore faltered when she felt his hand brush against hers, and she leaned against him and closed her eyes, tearing her thoughts away from the unpleasant path they had been taking.

"Hey! There's my mom!" Kurumu shouted, and Tsukune glanced in the direction she was pointing. Sure enough, there was Ageha, stepping gracefully from one of the buses, her lips pursed in an expression that straddled the line between confidence and arrogance. That poise faded into open joy as she noticed Kurumu waving at her, and the older succubus rushed towards her daughter, a brilliant smile on her face. The two Kuronos met in an enthusiastic embrace, and from the sidelines the rest of her friends blinked at their energetic reunion. It had, after all, been little more than a week since Ageha had ended her visit to the Resting Place. One possible reason finally occurred to Tsukune, and he blushed as he wondered how much of Ageha's enthusiasm was meant to congratulate Kurumu on finally entering into a relationship with her 'mate of fate.'

"And there's my future son-in-law!" Ageha cheered, turning to Tsukune with a triumphant grin. She seemed oblivious to his sudden pallor, or the way that the other girls stiffened and glanced towards Yukari. "So, when do we get to start planning things for-"

"H-hey, Mizore, is that your mom over there?" Moka blurted, and Yukari was momentarily distracted as she turned to glance in the direction the vampire was pointing. Seizing the opportunity, Kurumu stepped closer to her mother and made panicked slashing movements towards her own neck. Ageha glanced at her, but her impassive expression revealed little towards whether or not she understood her daughter's silent plea.

"Actually, I'm right here," offered a smooth, chill voice from behind the group. Unable to hide their shock, the girls turned to find Tsurara standing within arms' reach, a placid smile on her face and her eyes closed. She turned towards Ageha and Tsukune, her smile growing almost imperceptibly sharper. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt you?"

"Oh, of course not," Ageha crowed, her own grin turning predatory. Stepping closer to Tsukune, she reached out to slip an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. Unfortunately for him, his lack of balance and preparation ended with him half-slumped to the side, his face pressed firmly against Ageha's chest. As the color fled his cheeks, Kurumu glowered at her mother, still powerless to intervene. "I was just discussing arrangements for the big day with our young lovers here."

"Oh, well then. Make all the arrangements you like. I've already prepared everything for a ceremony back in our village; you'll just have to wait your turn." Tsurara's frigid smile refused to relent as Ageha sneered her own rebuttal, still cradling Tsukune to her breast, while Kurumu surreptitiously slipped around her mother to tug at Tsukune in the hopes of freeing him.

"They never change, do they?" Yukari sighed, shaking her head in exasperated resignation. Beside her, Mizore and Moka shared a quick glance, faintly optimistic that they would be able to silence the older women before Yukari realized how much _had_ changed.

"You're absolutely right," Moka commented, a weakened smile frozen on her lips.

"Everyone, everyone!" The barely-heard words shouted across the din of the crowd would have failed to capture their attention, were it not for the familiar voice that projected them. "Please, follow me to the annex building!"

"Was that Ruby?" Mizore asked, trying fruitlessly to see the older witch amidst the sea of faces.

"That did sound like her," Yukari confirmed, jumping up and down in a half-hearted effort to see anything beyond the bodies around her. "Hey, let's go find her!"

"I'll go with you," Moka offered, taking Yukari's hand as she met Mizore's eyes one final time, the gaze carrying an unspoken suggestion that they make use of this chance. Soon enough, Moka and Yukari disappeared into the swell, and the entire crowd began to slowly move in the direction that had gone.

Tsukune was slow to move, dabbing at his nose with a crimson-speckled handkerchief, and the two mothers still stood defiantly, their competition hardly bruised by the details of their daughters' new relationship with him. "Mom, please, can you keep the-"

"Let me guess," Ageha said, a slight edge to her voice and a dim flare of anger in her violet eyes. "A secret, right?" As Kurumu flinched back, Ageha turned her attention towards Tsukune. "So much for finally making a decision and standing by it."

Surprised, he met her gaze, starting to answer her words, but Tsurara cut him off before he could. "Do you believe that you will be able to hide the truth forever? Someone will find out eventually."

"No, we plan on telling them, just not now," Mizore intervened, wavering only slightly when Tsurara turned her ice-cold eyes to met her own.

"And what's wrong with it, anyways? Polygamy happens, all across the world. Just because-"

"Mother!" Kurumu desperately interrupted, glancing furtively at the students and parents walking past them. "Not here!"

"Fine," Ageha conceded. "We'll drop the topic." She looked over to Tsurara, who nodded in response as they all began to trail the crowd down the path leading to the school. "But what should we talk about, hmm? Spineless boyfriends who make mothers wait an eternity for grandchildren?"

"Mom!"

"Or perhaps we can talk about the possibility of you coming home for an extended visit. Maybe if you didn't have to keep things so secretive, you could actually manage to get things accomplished, hmm?" Tsurara smirked at Tsukune, who lowered his shoulders in mute defeat.

"Y'know, if he hadn't been forced to make a decision, I wouldn't be saying this… but I like the way you think," Ageha complimented Tsurara. "My place or yours?"

"Both, depending on how long it takes them."

And so Tsukune trudged along with the crowd as their course took them off the road leading to the school and down an unfamiliar side path, Mizore and Kurumu walking beside him in similar defeat as the two mothers jovially chatted, each sentence less-than-subtly twisting the knives in Tsukune's back. He could feel his irritation growing gradually; it wasn't as if he _wanted_ to keep things a secret, especially considering how difficult it was making it for him to have time with Kurumu and Mizore. That thought drew him up short as he wondered if that might have something to do with the mothers' anger. Surely they wouldn't have seen that coming-

"So, what's this annex building, anyways? I've never heard of it," Mizore interjected, hoping the question would tug enough at the attention of Ageha and Tsurara to distract them from their current discussion.

"Hm? Oh… there was something about it in one of the letters they sent home about the Monster Mentoring…" Ageha mused, sounding bored with the subject.

"The Crom Macha Annex Complex, constructed with funds donated by Lord Macha himself," Tsurara intoned, rolling her eyes with markedly less grace than her usual behavior. "Arrogant blowhard." The final words were mumbled, but Ageha grinned over at her, pleased to see her rival so upset.

"…Macha? Why does that name sound familiar?" Kurumu whispered over to Tsukune as their path began to slope upward, the skeletal forest around them clutching at the rocky slopes of a small hill. His forehead furrowed in thought, Tsukune caught a glimpse of the figures at the front of the procession, marking Ruby, Moka, and Yukari as they climbed the hill.

"Apparently, when the school was closed after that fiasco with the mirror, they used the construction crews to make some new additions to the campus," Tsurara elaborated, motioning towards the plateau at the top of the hill. "Personally, I think someone just wanted their name on a building. It sounds like the headmaster hasn't figured out how to make use of it yet, if you haven't heard of it so far."

"Or he uses it for something sneaky, like everything else he does," Kurumu groused, and Mizore nodded grimly over to her.

Tsukune, however, had finally stumbled upon the answer to the nagging familiarity of the name. "Ceann Macha… wasn't she the president of S.M.A.S.H.?" he asked Mizore surreptitiously. As the light of recognition dawned in her eyes, however, they began to crest the hill, bringing the annex building into view.

Tsukune's jaw dropped as he stared at the annex building, though dimly he realized that he really had no reason to be surprised. In essence, it was remarkably similar to most buildings on Yokai Academy's campus: same dead trees sprinkled about, same gravestones arrayed around the building instead of shrubberies. What shocked Tsukune about the annex building, however, was how purely stereotypical it looked: boarded shutters, bats flying around the peaked dormers, and even lightning crackling in the background, casting the façade in shadow. 'It's a haunted house!' wailed Tsukune internally. This realization stopped him in place, and when he turned to ask his friends why a building recently constructed would already have gravestones all around it, he had to hurry to catch them as they had already walked in through the double doors and into the cavernous interior.

The foyer of the building hardly proved a contrast to the exterior, with a double set of stairs curving up to a second level. Crowning the stairs above the landing was a massive old-fashioned portrait, easily taller than Tsukune, featuring a wild-bearded older man with eyes that gleamed violet and, disturbingly, seemed to be staring directly at Tsukune, no matter where he stood. Aside from the unnerving quality of the portrait, the conflict between its style and subject bothered Tsukune; for such a regal painting, the intense expression and prolific, untamed white mane and beard seemed terribly out of place.

Beyond the portrait, the other furnishings of the building seemed strangely opulent, better fit for the stereotypical haunted mansion the building seemed to be than the school building it was intended as. The crowd's path took them through the double doors straight ahead, between the curving stairs, and then into an auditorium that sloped gently downwards towards a stage lit by an array of torches. Tsukune followed his friends as they headed towards the seats Moka and Yukari had chosen, Ruby having left them in order to head for the stage. As the group filed into the row, admiring the plush theatre seats with iron armrests decorated with snarling gargoyle faces, Tsukune's gaze was drawn upwards. The room had a balcony along the back three walls, with viewing booths protruding out slightly. A glimpse of teal hair began to capture his attention, but as he sat down he felt a brush against his leg, and he glanced down to see Kurumu's hand lying open upon it. A quick glance at her face revealed her shy smile, and he realized what she was subtly asking for. He let his own hand fall alongside hers, and their fingers intertwined-

"Tsukune!" hissed a whisper from down the row, and their hands jerked apart. Tsukune leaned forward to meet the gaze of Yukari, hoped she hadn't noticed what he had been doing, but fortunately her intent was very different: she was motioning back up to the viewing booth he had noticed earlier. He followed her pointing finger, this time catching a much better view of the owner of the teal hair from before. The girl was instantly recognizable as Ceann Macha, the leader of S.M.A.S.H., from the picture he had seen the previous day. She was again wearing her pauldrons and cape, and looked over the crowded amphitheatre with haughty disdain. Her attention was distracted as a group of young men entered the viewing booth. Tsukune's brow furrowed as he thought he recognized their leader, his emerald eyes standing out even from this distance. 'What was his name… Ruth-something…?' Tsukune mused, blinking as the young man took Ceann's hand and bent over it, kissing its back with a flourish. Before he could watch any more of their interaction, however, a voice from the stage drew Tsukune's attention.

"Welcome, parents and guests, to Yokai Academy's Monster Mentoring Week!" Ruby proclaimed brightly, the audience cheering in response as she waved at them. "As you all know, Yokai Academy's purpose is to help monsters find a place in human society, but we do not intend to take away from your personal heritage. Instead, this week, we celebrate it!" The roar of approval from the audience had certain resemblances to an actual roar, some members letting their monstrous nature show in their enthusiasm. Ruby beamed despite their ferocity, while Tsukune shifted slightly in his seat, suddenly conscious of how close Ruby's speech came to the conflict between the clubs.

"To that end, this week will be devoted primarily to lessons intended to help you better understand your own nature, and the history and culture of your people. Since we are all different, we have brought in representatives from many different races, and parents have come for others. By now, you should have been assigned your mentor; if not, please see your homeroom teacher as soon as possible." Ruby paused while whispers ran through the crowd, students sharing the names of their mentors or pointing out likely possibilities from the representatives that had been brought in. "Just as a reminder, your lessons with your mentor will take place during the last hour and a half of the school day every day this week. As for where your lessons will be…" Ruby flourished, holding aloft a thin stack of papers, "Please listen closely for me to call the name of your race, and then I will announce the location of your mentoring. If there are any questions, please save them until I am finished with the entire list. Alright, first: Abominable Snowpeople, you will be in…"

Tsukune let his attention wander back up to the balcony, where Ceann stood alone now. She was staring intently over the railing at the crowd, her jaw visibly clenched even despite the distance separating them. He had liked the sounds of her club, he admitted to himself, since their goals should work well with the future he had come to desire, one where monsters and humans could fully integrate without a veil of secrecy. But there was something about her that put him on edge; maybe it was her look of cold superiority, he mused sourly, that made him feel beneath her in more way than one. Or maybe it was just the fact that, every time he let himself forget the barriers between humans and monsters, life had a way of reminding him. Like that time with the Monster Durian…

As his stomach grumbled in protest at the memory, Tsukune let himself mentally complain that the smell of popcorn wasn't really helping at the moment. He straightened sharply. Popcorn?

"Want some?" a voice offered genially, a greasy bag thrust towards his face as Tsukune whirled to glance behind him. He hadn't even heard anyone sit down, but, sure enough, a familiar black-suited man sat in the theatre seat behind and beside Tsukune, dully-gleaming matte black shoes planted on the headrest of the empty seat just to his right. Tsukune's eyes narrowed as he recognized the Headmaster's guardian, one he had plenty of personal experience with.

"No thanks," Tsukune replied, turning away from Gabe with full awareness that the blond guardian would not leave so easily.

"Have it your way; extra, extra butter." Gabe withdrew his feet, only to rise from his seat and slip to the end of the row, sliding into the seat next to Tsukune. "It's good stuff."

"I'm sure," Tsukune mumbled as the man noisily crunched on the handful he pressed to his mouth. Beside Tsukune, Kurumu leaned forward to glower at Gabe, who waved a buttery hand in overly-friendly greeting. "Why are you here?"

"Don't have anywhere else to be," Gabe responded lightly, but beneath the humor Tsukune could sense a vein of bitterness in the response. "Boss is out of town; Mikey told me that he'd broken the news to you. Didn't even leave us a contact, and that's weird. But enough about me, how're you?"

"Just fine, thanks for asking."

"Oh? Not nervous about this week?"

Tsukune turned back to look closely at the guardian. "Should I be?"

"Oh, I don't see any reason to, really. I mean, there's a war going on on campus, and every student in this building is going to know a whole bunch of fancy new tricks by tomorrow evening; I can't imagine how it could possibly go wrong." Gabe shoveled another handful of popcorn into his mouth, a couple of errant pieces plummeting to the upholstered seat. "Sounds like just another week around here."

Tsukune caught himself mid-nod. "If you know about this, why aren't you doing anything about it?" he hissed pointedly.

"Just imagine what we are dealing with if that's too small fry for us to spare anyone, alright?" This comment was delivered with more edge than Tsukune was accustomed to from the fair-haired guardian. "We know, but we've got our hands tied."

"Then what do you want from us?" Tsukune said after a moment's pause.

"Just… do what you always do. Which is probably exactly what you shouldn't do, but there's no way any of us can predict what it's going to be. There's a reason he trusts you, you know, and we've seen that too. Right now, leaving things to you _is_ doing something." Gabe frowned, letting his eyes wander to the front of the stage where Ruby was still making her way through the extensive list of monster races. "I wish I could be there with you, but…"

"I understand," Tsukune relented, but Gabe spoke out quickly, nearly interrupting him.

"Plus… there are some not-so-nice people moving against us, and we're afraid that this conflict is their doing."

"Fairy Tale?" Tsukune asked, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"We're thinking that one of the student groups might be a front for them, yes. Maybe even both. We don't know what will happen if we move against either of them officially… but you're not official, are you?" The popcorn crunched loudly as punctuation.

"I might as well be." Staring down, Tsukune couldn't see Gabe's wide-lipped smile. "What do you want us to do?"

"What you always do, like I said. Oh, and one other thing… here's your directions for tomorrow." Gabe's hand plunged into the pocket of his suit, and he fished forth a thinly-folded note. "I'll meet you there and give you the tour of the faculty library."

Tsukune took the note, trying not to crinkle his noise at the yellowed oilslick pattern emanating from Gabe's fingers. "You'll be my mentor for the week?"

"Something like that," Gabe grinned. "See you then, okay?" Before Tsukune could respond, though he hadn't decided whether or not to bother, the guardian slipped from his seat and nonchalantly made his way up the aisle. Tsukune instead opened the note, finding instructions to a location in the building that held the Headmaster's office. So, this would be where he would have his own Monster Mentoring… whatever it was supposed to be. Shrugging, he buried the paper inside his own pocket. He would find out soon enough, he supposed.

A chill sprinted up Tsukune's spine, and he found his eyes drawn back up to the balcony. His eyes widened as he saw Ceann Macha still standing there, but now their eyes met; she had been staring at him. Glaring, actually. Before he could fully process this information, she tossed her head and walked out of sight, her cape billowing in haughty farewell. Why had she been looking at him? Was it because he had been talking to one of the Headmaster's guardians?

"Zombies: please report to the southeastern graveyard. You have special permission to leave class thirty minutes early, but please hurry." Ruby sighed into her microphone, winded by the list she had finally completed. "That should be everyone; any questions? Yes, you in the back- no, you, yes, you…"

"What did he want?" Kurumu whispered to Tsukune.

"He gave me directions to the faculty library," Tsukune responded quietly, resisting the urge to pull them back out and show her for fear of smudging the paper even worse. "He's going to be the one showing me around."

He smiled as Kurumu patted his leg in mute compassion, but his thoughts were far from any dread about Gabe's company. Instead, it was the guardian's words that were worrying him. If Fairy Tale really was involved… M.U.N.C.H.'s party line sounded a lot like that organization's, but on the other hand, he had seen the resources they had brought to bear more than once. Fairy Tale had to have numerous financial backers; the sort of men who could have buildings named after them. He glanced back up to the empty balcony one final time. Plus, it would make sense for them not to play their hand so openly as to support M.U.N.C.H., but instead the group dedicated to studying humanity. After all, they had already hidden once in the school council, so it wouldn't be too farfetched to infiltrate the other club… any club, now that he thought about it. That sent another shudder up his back, and Tsukune tried to force his attention back to the stage.

It was not going to be a good week.

* * *

Author's Note: I, I can't really apologize for this one. Two years, longer, is a bit much. I can divvy out a list of reasons: my new full-time job as English teacher, my coursework towards certification and (in the coming months) a counseling degree, a separation, various complications beyond measure. These reasons aren't enough. I could have written. All I can offer is apologies, feeble as they are, and ambitious dreams of releasing faster in the future; your faith in those has to be stretched fairly thin.

I'll spare you an extensive author's note. That's not why you're here. I'll get back to writing my story, and, when another chapter finds its way to conclusion, then I'll speak my piece. Wish me luck in that; this is my fall break, and I want it to be done before I make my way back to school.

I will, however, offer my thanks to those who called out for my return, as well as to Anzer'ke, who proved a great help to me by beta reading this chapter and helped me regain my confidence. To those of you who left encouragement and hopes for my return, I only hope I can repay your faithfulness.

I have slept, and it was a sleep like death, but now I awaken; let my sleep be light and fitful, for there is much yet to do.

~Wynn Pendragon


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